INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

UNAIDS

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 17 October 2005, Official Report, column 724W, on access to treatment, when his Department expects UNAIDS to establish its taskforce; when it expects UNAIDS to set its intermediate targets; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) is in the process of establishing a Global Steering Committee for scaling up towards universal access. The UK has recently agreed to be co-chair, alongside the UNAIDS. The Committee will determine whether intermediate targets will be set. We expect the Committee to report to the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS in 2006.

Cheap Food Exports

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made on the impact of cheap food exports to developing countries from the EU on the economies of those countries; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development supports a range of research on the impacts of developed countries agricultural policies on developing countries. One current programme is with the United Nations Food and Agricultural organisation (FAO) on the impacts of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) agricultural policies on developing countries. The research outputs are available at: www.fao.org/trade. The Government recognise the damaging impact that trade-distorting subsidies in the EU and other OECD countries have on developing countries and we are committed to securing reductions in these subsidies, through the reform of the common agricultural policy and the World Trade Organisation talks.
	The most recent common agricultural policy reform package agreed in 2003–04 marks a significant shift in the EU's agricultural policy. The de-coupling of subsidies from production should increase the market orientation of European farmers, leading to reductions in production and disposal of subsidised surpluses abroad.
	The Government also fully support the commitment made as part of the WTO's Doha Development Agenda
	'to reduce, with a view to phasing out, all forms of export subsidies, and substantial reductions in trade-distorting domestic support'.
	We are pushing strongly for progress towards this at the upcoming WTO ministerial meeting in Hong Kong.

Criminal Offences

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by his Department from May 1997 up to and including April 2005, broken down by Act.

Gareth Thomas: No legislation introduced by the Department for International Development since 1997 has contained criminal law provisions.

Fair Trade

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's policy is on trade with developing countries; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The UK Government are committed to the development of an open and rules-based international trading system that fulfils its potential to contribute to the reduction of poverty in poorer countries. Our key policy commitments on trade and development, as well as our objectives for the current round of multilateral trade talks, are set out in the Government's White Papers, Making Globalisation a Force for Good" (July 2004) and Eliminating World Poverty: Making Globalisation Work for the Poor" (December 2000). The UK Government are working hard to support the poorest and most vulnerable producers, be it through multilateral negotiations in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) or regional trade agreements such as the Economic Partnership Agreements.
	At the G8 summit in Gleneagles in July, we made real and substantial progress for developing countries on more and better aid, deeper debt relief, and re-affirmed our commitment to a successful conclusion to the current round of WTO trade talks. The G8 also agreed to provide increased funds for trade related capacity building to assist developing countries take advantage of the new opportunities from a positive conclusion to the round. There is increased international support for increased 'Aid for Trade' as reflected at the recent World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) meetings and the G8 summit in Gleneagles. It is important that we build rapidly on the outcome of these meetings.
	The forthcoming WTO Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong represents an important opportunity to make a significant contribution to reducing global poverty. The UK Government are working to achieve an outcome that delivers real gains for developing countries, including the poorest. These gains should include improved participation by developing countries in the world trading system, through substantially increased market access for developing countries and the dismantling of trade-distorting agricultural subsidies by industrialised countries.

Illegal Logging

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent representations he has made (a) directly and (b) through the EU to the Governments of (i) Indonesia and (ii) Cameroon regarding illegal logging.

Gareth Thomas: The UK has been closely engaged with Indonesia concerning illegal logging since preparing for the Ministerial Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (FLEG) Ministerial Conference in Bali in September 2002. The resulting declaration led to the UK-Indonesia Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which aims to tackle illegal logging in Indonesia and ultimately eliminate trade in illegally harvested timber between the two countries.
	Our ambassador in Jakarta and DFID officials have maintained frequent and direct contact with the Indonesian Minister of Forestry and his officials concerning implementing the MoU and we are making steady progress.
	My most recent direct contact with the Minister of Forestry was to invite him to visit the UK in September to discuss progress and future activities. Unfortunately the Minister had to postpone his visit.
	Since the trade issues must be dealt with at the EU level, these cannot be tackled under the MoU and DFID, together with the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, have been working to put in place the EU forest law enforcement, governance and trade (FLEGT) action plan. These will provide for voluntary partnership agreements between the EU and timber producing countries with a licensing scheme to control illegal trade as their focus. The European Commission is leading on preparations for such an agreement with Indonesia, which we hope will supersede and strengthen our MoU. Our ambassador underlined the importance of such an agreement in a meeting with the Indonesian Minister of Forestry last July and DFID officials, through the commission in Brussels and its delegation in Jakarta, are lending practical support to the current preparations.
	The UK has been working closely with the Government of Cameroon over a number of years to tackle illegal logging and forest governance problems. We have supported the Government to develop a comprehensive national programme to address illegal logging and improve forest management and have also supported an independent monitor in Cameroon to help the Government combat forest crime. We worked closely with the Minister of Forests and Prime Minister to support Cameroon hosting the Pan African Ministerial Conference on Forest Law Enforcement and Governance in 2003. Most recently DFID officials met the Minister responsible for Forestry and Ministry of Finance in October to finalise plans for our support to the national programme and to further understanding about the opportunities afforded by the voluntary partnership agreement with Europe for the timber trade.
	The UK has been supporting the Cameroon Government in preparing for negotiations with the European Commission for such an agreement alongside Germany, who co-ordinates this work for the member states. The Forest Minister recently indicated to us that they would like to negotiate a partnership agreement in July 2006 when work reviewing the legal code is completed.

Immunisation

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to encourage more countries to pledge money to the International Finance Facility for Immunisation.

Hilary Benn: DFID is continuing to work alongside HM Treasury and the Foreign Office to encourage more donors to pledge to the International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm) through one-on-one meetings and discussions and international conferences. Italy, France, Sweden and Spain remain the core committed European donors, but we are now holding discussions with Norway, Belgium, and Austria and hope that they might also contribute. Outside Europe, we are holding discussions with South Africa, India, Brazil and Japan, all of whom are expressing some interest in participating.

Kenya

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the potential danger to workers involved in the flower industry in Kenya due to exposure to chemicals; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: DFID has been working with stakeholders in the Kenyan flower industry since 2003, in the face of a possible boycott by European buyers on the grounds of labour rights abuses on flower farms.
	DFID, together with the Dutch, is supporting the Kenyan Ethical Horticultural Business Initiative (HEBI). This is a 'not for profit' organisation with a board comprising all those involved in the industry as well as Government, human rights organisations and unions representing the workers. Pilot audits, which include assessments of exposure to chemicals, on eight farms, revealed that while some problems exist the industry generally is socially responsible. But to ensure that internationally recognised social business practices are being followed, the HEBI has produced a code of practice for flower farmers. This includes a regular independent audit and inspection of flower farms and a better understanding by growers and workers of their social and legal rights and obligations.

South Asian Earthquake

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many tents have been sent from the UK as part of the UK's contribution to the South Asian earthquake emergency relief response from (a) UK Government Departments, (b) NGOs and others through the Disasters Emergency Committee and (c) NGOs and charities which did not use the DEC as the conduit for delivery of aid.

Gareth Thomas: DFID has sent 5,500 winterised family tents in response to the South Asian earthquake. The Government of Pakistan reports that 335,393 tents have been distributed in total, and the Government of Pakistan and the United Nations are confident that up to a further 300,000 tents will be delivered by the end of the month. DFID does not have figures for the number of tents delivered by the independent agencies of the Disasters Emergency Committee or other non-governmental organisations.

South Asian Earthquake

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many UK helicopters are helping with the relief following the earthquake in Pakistan; and what plans he has to increase this number in the immediate future.

Gareth Thomas: The Ministry of Defence has three CH-47 Chinook helicopters, operational since 28 October, assisting with the relief effort at DFID's request. DFID has also channelled £2 million through the International Committee of the Red Cross and £1 million through the World Food Programme which includes support to helicopter provision. DFID has channelled a further £1.5 million through the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service also for helicopter provision. As of 9 November, there were 102 helicopters in operation with an additional 16 in the pipeline. We are monitoring the overall situation with regard to helicopter provision and examining options to ensure appropriate numbers and types are available.

Palestinian Authority

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much aid from the UK has been committed to (a) the Palestinian Authority and (b) non-governmental organisations operating in Palestine since the inception of the Authority.

Hilary Benn: During the period 1994 to 2004, the UK provided a total of £104 million official development assistance to the West Bank and Gaza. Nearly £31 million of this assistance was channelled through non-governmental organisations. A further £153 million humanitarian assistance was given to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency over the same time period.

Palm Oil

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and (b) others on the destruction of the habitat of the orang-utan due to the increased demand for palm oil in the UK.

Gareth Thomas: Neither I nor my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development have discussed this issue with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
	The UK Government are in discussion with EU member states about the threats to tropical rainforests caused by oil palm expansion and is taking the following steps to tackle this problem.
	My right hon. Friend and the Under-Secretary with responsibility for rural affairs, landscape and biodiversity, my hon. Friend the Member for South Dorset (Jim Knight), recently represented the UK at an inter-governmental meeting on the Great Apes Survival Project (GRASP) which covers orang-utans. The Kinshasa intergovernmental meeting in September, formally adopted a Global Great Apes Conservation Strategy and an aspirational declaration. This commits range states of great apes to a number of actions and targets, including slowing the loss of great apes and their forest habitats by 2010.
	The UK has been wholly supportive of the GRASP mission. The Government, through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), has committed around £600,000 to the Great Apes Survival Project.
	The UK Government also support the conservation and sustainable management of rainforests. DFID, together with DEFRA and FCO, is helping developing countries to address the governance and market failures that drive illegal and unsustainable logging of forests. DFID supports the Multistakeholder Forestry Programme in Indonesia which is strengthening forest management and helping to protect forest habitats, including those of the orang-utan.
	Defra, through the Darwin Initiative, is also helping countries to design and implement conservation measures to address the loss of forest biodiversity and rare natural habitats.

Republic of Yemen

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the value of grants in aid made to the Republic of Yemen was in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Hilary Benn: Grants in aid, including grants to voluntary organisations, form one part of DFID's larger bilateral assistance package. The latest figures of the value of grants in aid provided by DFID to the Republic of Yemen in each of the last financial years is as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
		
		
			 2000–01 0.964 
			 2001–02 2.192 
			 2002–03 2.103 
			 2003–04 3.721 
			 2004–05 4.422

Tuberculosis

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of funding for all countries to which the Department gives direct budget support is attributable to the control and treatment of TB in 2005–06.

Gareth Thomas: It is not currently possible to give a percentage figure for funding spent directly on TB control and treatment from total direct budget support which DFID provides. This is because national governments do not have financial accounting systems that trace the proportion of direct budget support spent on individual diseases. However, DFID provides a significant part of its funding directly to government budgets in support of their overall strategies for poverty reduction ('Poverty Reduction Budget Support'). DFID provided £423 million in 2004–05 in this way, partner governments may use some part of this directly for TB control activities, or for building up health services to diagnose and treat TB as well as other major causes of ill health.

Water and Sanitation (Funding)

Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  if he will use the UK's presidency of the EU to ensure that the commitments in the United Nations Millennium Review Summit Outcome Document for better targeting of aid are applied by all EU member states to their aid for water and sanitation;
	(2)  if he will use the UK's presidency of the EU to ensure that the recommendation of the Commission for Africa for a reversal starting in 2005 of the decline in aid for water and sanitation is adopted by all member states.

Hilary Benn: The UK presidency is actively engaged in negotiations with the European Commission and European Parliament to agree a new Development Policy Statement that will set the framework within which all EU aid is spent. DFID is working to ensure that the Statement agrees that aid is focused on poverty reduction, meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDG)s—including those related to water and sanitation—and the needs identified by partner countries. I chaired a debate about the statement at the informal meeting of EU Development Ministers in Leeds on 25 October. It is hoped that we will reach final agreement at the meeting of EU Development Ministers that I will chair in Brussels 22 November.
	I have also tabled a paper on EU aid effectiveness that will be debated at the same meeting. This includes language on promoting a more effective allocation of resources and asking member states to publish projections of aid by type, including water and sanitation, and country over the next three years and if possible longer.
	The 22 November Council will also agree a contribution to a new EU Strategy for Africa that should be agreed at the December European Council. The Strategy will include action on water and sanitation. We are hopeful that this will result in member states increasing their allocations to water supply and sanitation.

World Trade

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to ensure that the December World Trade Organisation talks will produce an outcome which is beneficial to (a) the development of less developed countries, (b) poverty eradication in those countries and (c) capacity to meet the millennium development goals.

Gareth Thomas: Working with the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) and other Government Departments, and in line with the aims and objectives set out in the 2004 Trade and Investment White Paper, DFID is actively pursuing an outcome to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks which delivers real development gains for developing countries.
	DFID works with the poorest group of developing countries, the G90, to ensure their views are represented in the WTO through technical assistance where we provide considerable support to help developing countries participate in the negotiations, through policy research on issues of key concern for developing countries such as special products and through direct engagement with key WTO members such as the least developed country (LDC) chair. We try to ensure that developing country views are heard loud and clear, and that policy proposals in Geneva and elsewhere are based on sound evidence and with development at their core.

World Trade

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the Government's policy is on encouraging countries to privatise public services in return for other changes to world trade rules which would benefit the countries concerned.

Gareth Thomas: Increasing the access, coverage and quality of water, education and health services is vital if countries are to reach the Millennium Development Goals. In March 2005, DFID published a policy paper entitled Partnerships for Poverty Reduction: changing aid 'conditionally'". The policy commits us to only using conditionality to ensure that aid is used effectively for the purposes intended and can be accounted for to the UK Parliament.
	We are committed to supporting governments in developing countries to make their own decisions about how to develop their economies and provide services to their people, based on evidence of what works best to reduce poverty. DFID will not make aid conditional on specific policy decisions by partner governments or attempt to impose policy choices on them, including in sensitive economic areas such as privatisation or trade liberalisation.
	DFID also encourages developing countries to make their own decisions about service delivery, including whether or not to open their service sectors to foreign providers. However, developing countries are not obliged to accept any request or to open up their services sectors. It all comes down to which option is the most effective in reducing poverty, a decision for governments of developing countries to make through their own political process. Nothing in the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) forces them to privatise or prevents them from establishing appropriate regulation.

World Trade

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will assess the impact on poor countries were they to be enabled to provide 1 per cent. of world trade by value.

Gareth Thomas: Based on data from the World Trade Organisation for 2004, the value of total world trade in both goods and services was $11 trillion. Therefore any group of countries, whether they are the least developed countries or the wider group of developing countries, would capture an extra $110 billion of exports by value if they increased their share of world trade by 1 per cent.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Avian Influenza

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether a flock will be slaughtered if it is (a) found to be positive to avian influenza (i) High Path and (ii) Low Path and (b) not positive but in (A) a slaughter zone and (B) a movement restriction zone.

Ben Bradshaw: Powers to slaughter in the event of an outbreak of avian influenza are contained in Section 16A and Schedule 3 of the Animal Health Act 1981 (as amended).
	This allows the slaughter of:
	(i) any diseased poultry;
	(ii) any poultry suspected of having disease; and
	(iii) any poultry with a view to preventing the wider spread of avian influenza. This power can be exercised whether or not the poultry is affected with avian influenza or suspected of being so affected.
	These powers apply to both poultry with HPAI and LPAI.
	Any action taken to control avian influenza would be proportionate and decided upon in the light of an overall assessment of the risks, costs and benefits in a particular situation. However, it is a requirement under EU obligations that poultry on an infected premises must be slaughtered.

Biomass Industry

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what representations the Government have received on possible regulatory barriers to the development of the biomass industry; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The Department has received a number of representations on possible regulatory barriers. The Biomass Task Force, led by Sir Ben Gill, was set up a year ago to identify the barriers to developing biomass energy and to recommend ways to overcome the problems. Their report was published on 25 October and copies have been placed in the House Library. The Government have committed themselves to publishing a full response to the report within the next six months.

Biomass Industry

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which biomass (a) products and (b) by-products have been reclassified as waste since 1997.

Margaret Beckett: No biomass products or biomass by-products have been reclassified as waste since 1997.
	The definition of waste" in force in Great Britain since May 1994 is the definition in Article 1(a) of the Waste Framework Directive (as amended) which provides that waste is
	. . . any substance or object . . . which the holder discards or intends or is required to discard."
	Whether or not a substance is discarded as waste is a matter which must be determined on the facts of the case and the interpretation of the law is a matter for the courts. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) has issued several judgments on the interpretation of the definition of waste and the meaning of discard". ECJ judgments are binding on member states and their competent authorities".
	It rests in the first place with the producer or holder of a substance to decide whether it is being discarded as waste. However, the Environment Agency is designated as a competent authority for the purposes of implementing the directive in England and Wales. It is the agency's view that residues from the incineration or co-incineration of biomass (e.g. poultry litter) disposed of as waste in compliance with the EU Animal By-products Regulation are waste within the meaning of the directive.
	The classification of a substance as waste does not preclude its use. For example, waste ash from the incineration or co-incineration of biomass may be used as a fertiliser and spread to land for benefit to agriculture. The Government continue to encourage the recovery of waste by means of recycling, re-use and reclamation. This encouragement includes the use of the Government's discretion under Article 11 of the waste framework directive to provide exemptions from waste management licensing. Licensing exemptions for the recovery of certain kinds of waste ash are provided in paragraphs 9A, 13 and 19A of Schedule 3 to the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994 (as amended).

Biomass Industry

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which Government body is the main source of advice for the biomass industry.

Margaret Beckett: In common with other policies and issues which are wide-ranging in their impact on the UK, there are a number of Government bodies which offer advice to the biomass industry. Defra and the Department of Trade and Industry advise on Government policy and the grants available to farmers and biomass developers. Defra also issues best practice guidance on growing energy crops and the Forestry Commission provides advice on woodfuel production and management. The Environment Agency advises on pollution control. Advice on developing local biomass projects is available from the Regional Development Agencies. Advice is also available from private bodies which received Government funding, such as the Community Renewables Initiative local support teams, which help to promote local biomass projects, and the Carbon Trust, which advises on the development of low carbon technologies and businesses.
	The Biomass Task Force report, published on 25 October, recommends that the Carbon Trust should be the national focus of knowledge and analysis on biomass energy, with dissemination by the Regional Development Agencies. The report also recommends that technical, economic and best practice information is brought together and made available to stakeholders. The Government have committed themselves to publishing a full response to the report within the next six months.

Biomass Industry

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what was the average size of grants made for biomass energy projects in each year since 1997.

Margaret Beckett: The average size of grants for Defra and Forestry Commission biomass energy grant schemes are as follows:
	
		Grant scheme -- £
		
			  Energy crops scheme   
			  Establishment grants Producer groups Woodland grant scheme Community energy programme 
		
		
			 1997 — — 2,276 — 
			 1998 — — 2,185 — 
			 1999 — — 6,584 — 
			 2000 — — 13,235 — 
			 2001 17,245 — 948 — 
			 2002 11,193 — 480 — 
			 2003 4,137 22,199 253 47,459 
			 2004 12,626 13,565 304 445,196

Biomass Industry

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much government funding was allocated to biomass crop breeding programmes in 2004–05; and how much has been allocated for 2005–06.

Margaret Beckett: Defra allocated £841,000 in 2004–05 and £732,000 in 2005–06 to R and D in support of the genetic improvement of dedicated bio-energy crops.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Corruption

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Solicitor-General pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2005, Official Report, column 1W, on corruption, whether the Serious Fraud Office was contacted by the Department of Trade and Industry in connection with the allegations of corruption involving a DTI employee prior to 13 October; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) was contacted by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in September 2004 in connection with allegations of corruption involving a DTI employee. The matter is being considered by the SFO.

Countryside Alliance

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Solicitor-General whether the Government have asked the House of Lords to award costs in respect of the legal action from the Countryside Alliance in relation to the Parliament Act 1949; and how much was awarded.

Mike O'Brien: This matter is currently before the Judicial Committee of the House of Lords. By resolution of the House, this question is therefore inadmissible on the ground that it relates to a case in which proceedings are active in a United Kingdom court. I am not at liberty to answer any questions on this issue until the Judicial Committee has recorded an Order in the House of Lords' Minutes. My understanding is that this will not be until 18 November 2005 at the earliest. My hon. Friend will then be able to get a better view of the issue he raises.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Artefacts (Irish Parliament)

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what information the Commission has on whether works of art, furniture, books, records and other artefacts known to be within the ownership or custody of the House were originally owned by or displayed in the Parliament of Ireland prior to the Act of Union 1801; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: I have checked with those responsible in the House for looking after the works of art, furniture, books and records. There is no evidence that any material which the House currently owns, or has custody of, came originally from the Parliament of Ireland. The remaining records of the Parliament of Ireland perished when the Irish Public Record Office was destroyed by fire in 1922.

Carriage Gates

Philip Hammond: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission for what reasons the wrought iron gates at Carriage Gates have been removed; and when they are expected to be replaced.

Nick Harvey: The wrought iron Out" gates at Carriage Gates were removed for repair following an accident, and for installation of improved hinges. They were returned on 5 October.

Television System

Michael Fabricant: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission whether the Commission plans to digitise the internal House television distribution system; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: Yes. Provisional plans have been made to move from analogue to digital broadcast on the annunciator system. This is programmed for a phased changeover from the year 2010–11 through to 2014–15 to coincide with the expected difficulties in maintaining the existing analogue displays and equipment. The exact nature and phasing of the changeover is yet to be determined.

TREASURY

Alcohol/Tobacco Tax Revenue

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was received in taxation from (a) alcoholic drinks, (b) public houses and (c) tobacco products in Northern Ireland during the last year for which figures are available.

John Healey: Relevant information on Alcohol and Tobacco products in the UK are included in Table 1.1 of the HM Revenue and Customs Factsheets for Alcohol and Tobacco, which can be found on a HM Revenue and Customs website address at: http://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=factindex
	Similar information on public houses is not available.
	Statistical information on tax revenue at the level of detail requested is not available for Northern Ireland.

Carers (Devon)

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many full-time carers there were in each local authority area in the county of Devon as recorded by the 2001 census; how many provided more than 50 hours care per week; and what estimate the Government have made of those figures since the census.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell to Mr. Adrian Sanders, dated 14 November 2005
	As National Statistician 1 have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many full-time carers there were in each local authority area in the county of Devon as recorded by the 2001 Census; how many provided more than 50 hours care per week; and what estimate the Government has made of those figures since the Census. (27005)
	We have interpreted the ambiguous phrase carer" to mean any person who provides unpaid care.
	The table below shows the number of people in each local authority in the county of Devon on Census day (29 April 2001) who were providing unpaid care, and of those how many were providing more than 50 hours of unpaid care per week. The data have been taken from table KS08 in Census 2001 Key Statistics for local authorities in England and Wales which is available in the House of Commons Library.
	The Office for National Statistics has not conducted a survey since the 2001 Census which specifically asked questions about the provision of unpaid care.
	
		Number of people in each local authority in the county of Devon providing unpaid care—Census day (29 April 2001)
		
			   Provision of unpaid care 
			 Area All people All people who provide unpaid care All people who provide unpaid care: 50 or more hours of care a week 
		
		
			 Devon county 704,493 72,969 14,491 
			 East Devon 125,520 13,764 2,542 
			 Exeter 111,076 9,896 2,036 
			 Mid-Devon 69,774 6,942 1,314 
			 North Devon 87,508 8,993 1,839 
			 South Hams 81,849 9,109 1,625 
			 Teignbridge 120,958 12,785 2,709 
			 Torridge 58,965 6,249 1,401 
			 West Devon 48,843 5,231 1,025 
		
	
	Source:
	Table KS08 Census 2001 Key Statistics for local authorities in England and Wales.

Citizens Advice Bureaux

Si�n James: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance is given to local authorities by his Department about the funding of citizens advice bureaux.

Ivan Lewis: The Treasury does not provide guidance to local authorities about funding citizens advice bureaux.

Citizens Advice Bureaux

Si�n James: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what financial assistance is given to citizens advice bureaux by his Department.

Ivan Lewis: The Treasury does not provide any direct financial assistance to citizens advice bureaux

Consumer Debt

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will break down the 1.130 billion of consumer debt in the United Kingdom confirmed by the Bank of England into categories of expenditure.

Ivan Lewis: The Bank of England's lending to individuals figures show that the total debt stock in September 2005 was 1,130 billion. This figure can be broken down into two major components; consumer credit stock (190.795 billion) and secured stock (939.456 billion).
	Consumer credit stock consists of that on credit cards (55.895 billion) and other (134.863 billion).
	The majority of secured lending is used for house purchases, but there are no figures available as to the eventual use of consumer credit.

Criminal Offences

Simon Hughes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by his Department between the end of the 200304 session and the end of April 2005, broken down by Act.

John Healey: The following provisions created criminal offences in primary legislation sponsored by HM Treasury between the end of the 200304 session and the end of April 2005:
	Finance Act 2004
	Schedule 1New Schedule 2A to the Alcoholic Liquor Duties Act 1979
	Paragraph 5Offences of possession, sale, etc. of unstamped containers
	Paragraph 6Offence of using premises for sale of liquor in or from unstamped containers
	Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005
	Section 19Wrongful disclosure
	Section 21(4)Disclosure to a prosecuting authority
	Section 29(4)Confidentiality
	Section 30Impersonation
	Section 31Obstruction
	Section 32Assault
	Section 40(3)Confidentiality

Customs Duties

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that people buying goods from abroad on the internet pay the appropriate customs duties; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: HM Revenue and Customs operate import controls at UK ports of entry, and international postal depots on consignments containing goods entering the UK from outside the European Union. These controls are applied to all consignments using well-established risk assessment techniques to identify those for examination.
	For consignments imported via the Royal Mail, HMRC examines declarations affixed to packets to ensure that the correct customs duty, excise duty and import VAT is charged and collected. This process includes examining the contents of packets with incomplete or missing declarations.

Economic and Monetary Union

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officials in his Department are assigned to work on the potential integration of the UK with European economic and monetary union; and what the salary of each is.

Ivan Lewis: Budget 2005 noted that the Government did not propose a euro assessment be initiated at this time. The Chancellor's statement to the House on 9 June 2003 on UK membership of the single currency set out a reform agenda of concrete and practical steps to address the policy requirements identified by the assessment of the five economic tests. A range of officials from across the Treasury contribute to this work. Disaggregated information relating to the salaries of the officials concerned is not available.

Economic Performance

Peter Bone: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the UK's economic performance in comparison with other major European countries.

Ivan Lewis: This year we have faced the highest sustained oil prices for a quarter of a century and a slow-down in our main export markets. In any previous decade anyone of these would have pushed the UK economy into recession. In contrast, this year the economy has not only continued to grow, but grown faster than any other major European economy.
	The Treasury paper on Global Europe: Full employment Europe set out the need for Europe, with growth at 1.2 per cent. this year and unemployment approaching 10 per cent., to become outward not inward looking, focused on external competition, and to combine flexibility with fairness.

Euro

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the estimated cost to date of preparations for possible euro entry by the UK.

Ivan Lewis: The latest estimate of Government spending on preparations for possible entry to the single currency is set out in paragraph 2.5, on page 8, of the report on Euro Preparations, December 2004.
	Copies of the document are in the Library of the House and on the Treasury's euro website www.euro.gov.uk

House Insurance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Financial Services Authority on the regulation of house insurance.

Ivan Lewis: HM Treasury Ministers and Officials have regular discussions with the Financial Services Authority on a wide variety of subjects, including general insurance regulation.

House Prices

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average change in UK house prices since May 1997 was in (a) cash and (b) percentage terms; and what the change in inheritance tax threshold in (i) cash and (ii) percentage terms over the same period was.

Dawn Primarolo: Housing comprises one element of overall wealth representing around 40 per cent. of the value of the average estate on death.
	Since 1997, household sector net wealth has risen by around 50 per cent. in real terms. Despite this significant rise in net wealth during this period, only around 6 per cent. of estates paid any IHT during the last tax year94 per cent. of estates were not subject to any IHT. And in order to provide certainty for hardworking families with estates valued at around the threshold, in the Budget earlier this year the Chancellor announced that the IHT tax-free threshold would rise from 263,000 to 275,000 in 2005/06, 285,000 in 200607 and 300,000 in 200708, a faster rise than statutory indexation.

Private Finance Initiative

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many private finance initiative (PFI) contracts have a duration of more than 25 years; and whether the value of these contracts is included in the 2005 Budget Red Book estimated PFI expenditure of 138.4 billion.

John Healey: The Treasury does not hold specific information on how many signed PFI contracts have a duration of more than 25 years. The estimated unitary charges of all PFI projects are included in table C19 of the Financial Statement and Budget Report 2005. The format of this table is in line with the Dear Accounting Officer letter Reporting PFI Contracts to Parliament published by the Treasury Officer of Accounts in 2000.
	The quoted figure of 138.4 billion represents an aggregation of estimated nominal payments that cannot be interpreted as Government's present liability. Payments that have been made within signed PFI projects are included within departmental accounts.

Private Finance Initiative

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in respect of which private finance initiative projects the obligations on either party have failed to be met and consequently (a) the contract has been renegotiated and (b) the contract has failed and the project has been taken back into public hands.

John Healey: The Treasury does not hold information centrally on contract negotiations across all PFI projects.

Private Finance Initiative

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the 2005 Budget Red Book estimates for payments under private finance initiative contracts between 200506 and 203031 include payments for (a) capital and interest payments and (b) maintenance and service contracts.

John Healey: Table C19 of the 2005 Budget Red Book sets out the estimates for payments under private finance initiative contracts between 200506 and 203031. These figures are an aggregation of the projected annual unitary charge payments on PFI projects signed to date. Unitary charge payments under an individual PFI project are the public authority's payments for the service it has contracted for to deliver the specified outputs. The contractors' aim to recoup their costs over the life of the contract through the unitary charge, including capital, operating and finance costs.

Revenue and Customs

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the transcript of the recent interview given by Mr. David Varney, Chairman of HM Revenue and Customs, to the Financial Times on 5 July 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The FT story of July wrongly asserted that David Varney had said the structure of tax credits may have to change. A transcript of his remarks to the FT is available in the Library of the House.

SIPPs

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether an individual with a second home held within a self-invested personal pension which is let rent free to (a) a grandparent, (b) a sibling, (c) a son or daughter and (d) a spouse will have to pay a commercial level of rent into the pension fund from 6 April 2006;
	(2)  if an individual who currently lets a second property rent free to (a) a grandparent, (b) a sibling, (c) a son or daughter and (d) a spouse and who transfers ownership of the property to their self-invested personal pension on 6 April 2006 will have to pay capital gains tax;
	(3)  which family members living rent free in a second home held within a self-invested personal pension from 6 April 2006 will not be subject to a benefits in kind tax.

Ivan Lewis: From April 2006, if a commercial level of rent is not paid on a residential property held within a SIPP, the SIPP member will face a benefit in kind charge if the property is available for their own use or if certain family members stay in the property cheaply. Additionally, if a lease is granted to any connected person, whether a family member or not on less than commercial terms, this will trigger the unauthorised payment rules which impose a tax charge of 40 per cent. on the SIPP member and 15 per cent. on the SIPP provider. And any individual transferring a second property to a SIPP on or after 6 April will be subject to capital gains tax under the normal rules, regardless of the current letting arrangements.
	The Government keep all aspects of the tax system under review. Where there is evidence of abuse, it will take appropriate action to stop it.

Tax Credits

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the analysis of the household survey data for 200304 to provide an estimate of families in West Lancashire eligible for, but not claiming, child tax credits.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, West (John Barrett) on the 25 October 2005, Official Report, column 318W. Due to sample size constraints, it will not be possible to produce estimates at parliamentary constituency level.

Tax Credits

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many people in West Lancashire have received tax credits in 2005 to date;
	(2)  what his latest estimate is of the number of tax credit overpayments in 200405 in West Lancashire; what their total value is; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many people in West Lancashire local authority area are in receipt of (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit;
	(4)  if he will make a statement on the National Audit Office Report on the Accounts of the Inland Revenue 200405, with particular reference to tax credit overpayments in 200405 in West Lancashire.

Dawn Primarolo: I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my right hon. Friend the Member for West Dunbartonshire (Mr. McFall) on the 28 June 2005, Official Report, column 1429W.

Travel (Economic Value)

Richard Spring: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the economic value of (a) EU-based and (b) non-EU based travel into the UK in each of the last eight years was; and what his Department's estimate is for the next financial year.

John Healey: Spending by overseas residents in the UK is described as 'earnings' (by UK residents) rather than 'expenditure' (by overseas residents). The figures for the last eight years are shown in the following table.
	
		Overseas residents visits to the UK: Earnings by UK residents at current prices -- 000
		
			  EU-25 Non-EU 
		
		
			 1997 5,305 6,939 
			 1998 5,374 7,297 
			 1999 5,057 7,441 
			 2000 4,858 7,947 
			 2001 4,344 6,962 
			 2002 4,742 6,995 
			 2003 5,018 6,837 
			 2004 5,677 7,370 
		
	
	HM Treasury provide forecasts for volumes of exports of goods and services, but do not make forecasts for individual components of these exports.

Valuation Office Agency

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment the Valuation Office Agency has made of the effect on a property's notional valuation if that property is assigned a value significance code of US (utility: adj. radio mast, sub-station, pylon, etc).

Dawn Primarolo: When assigning dwellings to council tax bands, the Valuation Office Agency have to consider the characteristics of each property, which may affect value. The agency have sought to capture information about proximity to radio masts etc under one of the value significant codes  as a characteristic that may affect value. Whether the value is affected, and to what extent, depends on the circumstances of individual case.

VAT

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate the Government have made of the cost of exempting (a) homes built on previously developed land and (b) property conversions from value-added tax.

Dawn Primarolo: No estimates have been made specifically of the cost of a VAT exemption for homes built on previously developed land and property conversions.
	However, estimates have been made for existing VAT reliefs. The cost of the zero rate for construction of new dwellings is estimated at around 6.7 billion in 200405 and the reduced rate for certain residential conversions at 150 million. These estimates are published by HM Revenue and Customs in the VAT Factsheet which can be found at www.uktradeinfo.co.uk.

VAT

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue to be raised from imposing value-added tax on new housing at (a) 5 per cent. and (b) 7 per cent.

Dawn Primarolo: A 5 per cent. rate of VAT on new housing might raise up to 1.9 billion.
	A 7 per cent. rate of VAT on new housing might raise up to 2.7 billion.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Electricity

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of an average electricity bill covers the costs of electricity generated but subsequently lost in (a) production, (b) transmission, (c) distribution and (d) energy inefficiency within the household.

Malcolm Wicks: The price of electricity varies over time. The value of losses will be dependent on the value of electricity at the time the losses occurred. This means it is very difficult to determine an accurate value of the level of losses in England and Wales.
	A certain amount of electricity is used by generators to operate their businesses. Generators have strong financial incentives to restrict their losses as any electricity lost means they have less to sell. Approximately 1.5 per cent. of the electricity put on to the transmission network is lost. This represents approximately 0.6 per cent. of the average standard credit electricity bill. The level of electricity lost on the distribution networks varies from network to network. The simple average of losses on distribution networks is 6.3 per cent. This equates to about 2.4 per cent. of the average standard credit electricity bill. There are no figures available to answer the fourth part of this question. Energy inefficiency in the household is being tackled and the Government support the Energy Savings Trust's save 20 per cent. campaign.

Energy Efficiency

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the Sustainable Energy Policy Network last discussed household energy efficiency; and what the outcome of those discussions was.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 10 November 2005
	The Sustainable Energy Policy Network frequently discusses energy efficiency, particularly in the context of the forthcoming Climate Change Programme Review. On a monthly basis the SEPN Programme Board discusses progress against all Energy White Paper commitments including energy efficiency. The outcome of these discussions is to exchange information between Departments about progress and effectiveness of policies and to ensure that approaches are properly co-ordinated.
	Additionally the Sustainable Energy Policy Advisory Board discussed energy efficiency at its meeting in June and the minutes of that meeting are available on the Department's website.

Liquid Natural Gas Importation Facilities

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what liquid natural gas importation facilities there are in the UK; and what sites are under consideration for development.

Malcolm Wicks: A new liquefied natural gas (LNG) import facility on the Isle of Grain was commissioned this summer. Two new LNG import terminals are under construction at Milford Haven, South Wales. Sites for LNG import terminals are under consideration at Canvey Island and Anglesey. Development of further import sites is a commercial matter for the market.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to be able to announce the start date for the low carbon buildings programme.

Malcolm Wicks: I made an announcement about the new programme on Wednesday 2 November, Official Report, column 47WS.
	The new programme will begin in April 2006, subject to EU state aids approval.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when he expects to announce (a) the outcome of the consultation on the Low Carbon Buildings Programmes and (b) the start date of the new programme.

Malcolm Wicks: Officials are currently working up plans for the Low Carbon Buildings programme and this will take account of the consultation exercise, which closed 23 September 2005. We will consult industry further on developments later this year before finalising details of the new programme early next year.
	We aim to start the programme in April 2006, subject to EU State Aids clearance and I recently announced a budget of 30 million over three years.

Microgeneration Promotion

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress he has made in drawing up a strategy for microgeneration promotion; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: A public consultation on the Government strategy to promote microgeneration was held between 23 June and 23 September this year. In addition a study into the costs and benefits of microgeneration was commissioned and is expected to report shortly. The findings of this study and the responses to the consultation are being fed into the process of developing the final strategy, which will be published in April 2006.

Miners' Compensation

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 31 October 2005, Official Report, column 710W, on miners' compensation, if he will (a) place in the Library and (b) post on his Department's website the details of the efficiency improvement programme on miners' compensation to which reference is made.

Malcolm Wicks: The efficiency improvement programme includes six work streams:
	People
	attrition, career development, employment terms;
	Productivity improvement
	'fast track' offers, development of compensation calculators;
	Quality
	service level agreement;
	Strategic and operations planning
	establishment of a programme office, additional claims handling offices;
	Systems and business intelligence
	electronic data management, website allowing case tracking and access to calculators; and
	Financial management
	enhanced review and audit procedures.
	Improvements against benchmarks are regularly reported and monitored. This detailed information is commercially confidential and inappropriate for publication.

Ministerial Travel

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) flights and (b) helicopter flights have been taken by Ministers within his Department for (i) UK and (ii) overseas visits in each year since 1995; on how many occasions (A) charter flights were used and (B) first and club class tickets were obtained; and who accompanied the Ministers on each trip.

Alan Johnson: The answer to this question could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Nuclear Power

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been levied in fines by the Nuclear Inspectorate against (a) companies, (b) local authorities and (c) individuals with regard to incidences of pollution (i) in total, (ii) in each region and (iii) per fine in each year since 1995, broken down by the type of pollution incidence.

Malcolm Wicks: The Nuclear Installations Inspectorate does not impose fines. This is a matter for the courts.

Nuclear Power

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list meetings (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department attended in the last three months at which nuclear power was discussed; and who attended each meeting.

Malcolm Wicks: Following is a list of meetings in the last three months at which DTI Ministers specifically discussed nuclear power.
	Secretary of State
	19 October
	Meeting to discuss Sellafield and safety issues
	Irish Minister for the Environment
	Minister of State for Energy
	11 July 2005
	Meeting to discuss Sellafield MOX Plant
	DTI officials
	14 July 2005
	Meeting to discuss nuclear industry issues
	Representatives of the Nuclear Industry Association
	21 July 2005
	Meeting to discuss Sellafield
	DTI officials
	8 September 2005
	Meeting to discuss nuclear issues
	Representative of the US Nuclear Energy Institute
	11 October 2005
	Meeting to discuss nuclear industry issues
	Representatives of British Energy
	Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
	5 September 2005
	Meeting to discuss nuclear industry issues
	Representatives of BNFL
	13 October 2005
	Meeting to discuss nuclear industry issues
	Representatives of British Energy.

Radioactive Material

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many movements of spent nuclear fuel occurred in each year since 1997 (a) by air within UK airspace, (b) by sea within UK waters, (c) by rail and (d) by road.

Malcolm Wicks: The movement of spent nuclear fuel is regulated by the Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003 (NISR 2003) which became effective on 22 September 2003. Information concerning the number of movements of spent nuclear fuel prior to this date is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost and by reference to individual nuclear operators. Since 22 September 2003 individual sea, rail and road carriers of nuclear material have been required to provide the Office for Civil Nuclear Security with a seven-day notification of movement and the number of movements notified are as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Sea Rail Road 
		
		
			 200304(1) 16 405 568 
			 200405 6 852 875 
			 200506(2) 1 471 487 
		
	
	(1) September 2003 to March 2004.
	(2) To date.
	The NISR 2003 do not cover the movement of nuclear material by air, but since 22 September 2003, there have been no recorded movements of spent nuclear fuel by road or rail to or from a UK airport.

Renewable Energy

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what arrangements exist to manage the supply of electricity from Snugborough wind farm in County Cavan in the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland, with particular reference to the renewables obligation certificate scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Renewables obligation certificates (ROCs) can be claimed by generators where the electricity is generated and supplied in Great Britain and Northern Ireland using technologies eligible under the renewables obligation. Under this scheme Snugborough wind farm is not eligible to claim ROCs as it is located in the Republic of Ireland.

Renewable Energy

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will include energy-from-waste technology in the renewables obligation.

Malcolm Wicks: Waste from pure biomass, e.g. agricultural waste, food wastes and forestry material are all currently eligible under the renewables obligation. In addition mixed waste from non-fossil derived energy is eligible when electricity is generated using pyrolysis, gasification or anaerobic digestion technologies.
	The Government are consulting within the renewables obligation review on a proposal to extend eligibility to the conventional combustion of mixed wastes for projects using good quality combined heat and power.

Wind Energy

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what statistics are kept by his Department in regard to wind farm applications in each region.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department does not hold statistics in regard to wind farm applications broken down by region.
	Applications for wind farms that do not fall to the DTI to deal with under sections 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 (ie wind farms with a capacity of less than 50 MW onshore) are normally dealt with through the local planning system.

Wind Energy

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average level of subsidy given to companies applying for planning permission to erect (a) onshore and (b) offshore wind turbines has been since 1997.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department of Trade and Industry does not provide subsidies for companies applying for planning permissions to erect onshore and offshore wind turbines.
	Onshore and offshore wind which are generating electricity are able to benefit from the Renewables Obligation (RO) which along with exemption from the climate change levy will provide support of 1 billion per year by 2010 to the renewable industry.

Wind Energy

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether an application has been made by npower renewables in relation to the development of the Gwynt-y-Mor wind farm off the coast of North Wales.

Malcolm Wicks: No application has been received.

Wind Energy

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of wind farm planning applications have been successful to date.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department does not hold information on the percentage of wind farm planning applications that have been successful to date.
	Applications for wind farms that do not fall to the DTI to deal with under Sections 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 (i.e. wind farms with a capacity of less than 50MW onshore) are normally dealt with through the local planning system.

Wind Energy

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the number of turbines required to generate the 10 per cent. energy from wind power expected by the Government; and how many grid connections are planned to facilitate this.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government's target of renewable energy sources contributing 10 per cent. of our electricity by 2010 is for all forms of renewables, not just wind. However it is clear that wind will make the main contribution. At this stage it is difficult to predict precise numbers. There are already just under 1,450 wind turbines of various sizes, currently in operation. These turbines are sited both offshore and onshore.
	Generating 10 per cent. of UK electricity from renewables could mean an increase of possibly another one and halt times that number.
	As with the number of turbines it is not possible to calculate the number of grid connections that are required to facilitate the meeting of the 10 per cent. renewables target. This will depend on where windfarms are located and the grid infrastructure in those areas.

TRANSPORT

A14

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the average daily number of vehicles which use (a) junction 7, (b) junction 8 and (c) junction 9 of the A14; and what estimate he has made of the average daily number of vehicles which will use each junction in (i) 2011, (ii) 2021 and (iii) 2031.

Stephen Ladyman: Junctions 7, 8 and 9 of the A14 are the three junctions on the Kettering Bypass. Following the recommendations of the London to South Midlands multi-modal study in July 2003 to widen the A14 through the East Midlands to dual three lanes, the Secretary of State asked the Highways Agency to carry out further work on the A14 Kettering Bypass section of the route.
	A study is currently under way of possible options for this route. This will take into account the growth in local development set out in the Milton Keynes and South Midlands sub-regional strategy.
	Traffic counts are being undertaken as part of the study which will provide estimates of the traffic flows using these junctions. The study is expected to report in February 2006.

A21

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what decisions have been taken by the Highways Agency on public consultations with representatives of interest groups related to the proposed A21 upgrade.

Stephen Ladyman: We announced the preferred route in February 2005 having taken into account the views expressed during and following the public consultation held in 200203. Following my meeting with the hon. Member on 20 October 2005, I asked the Highways Agency to meet with representatives of interest groups and I understand they have arranged a meeting for the 28 November.

A27 Lewes Bypass

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to have the A27 Lewes bypass resurfaced with a quieter material in the next financial year.

Stephen Ladyman: Whenever a road needs to be resurfaced for safety and maintenance reasons, quieter surfacing is used as a matter of course. Last year a 1 km stretch of the A27 Lewes bypass was repaired using low noise material.
	The bypass is now in good condition and there are no plans to resurface the remainder in the next financial year. However a technical survey is programmed for next financial year and any works identified as a result of the survey, such as resurfacing with a quieter material, would be carried out in financial year 200809, subject to allocation of funds.

A43

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of congestion on the A43 Kettering-Northampton road at peak times; and what estimate he has made of the expected level of congestion in (a) 2011, (b) 2021 and (c) 2031.

Stephen Ladyman: The A43 between Kettering and Northampton is the responsibility of Northamptonshire county council, as local highway authority. The Department for Transport has, therefore, made no assessment of congestion on this section of road.

A45

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the traffic levels were on the A47 Acle Straight in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Stephen Ladyman: The Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) 24 hour traffic flows for A47 Acle Straight between 1999 and 2004 are as follows:
	
		
			  AADT (Westbound) AADT (Eastbound) 
		
		
			 1999 10,796 9,713 
			 2000 10,850 10,089 
			 2001 11,435 10,803 
			 2002 11,664 11,349 
			 2003 13,129 12,267 
			 2004 12,723 11,821

A63

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what Highways Agency funding is triggered by recognition of the A63 as a trans-European network route by the European Commission.

Stephen Ladyman: The presence of the A63 on the European Union's trans-European transport network does not trigger Highways Agency funding for potential projects on that road. While trans-European network funding may in principle be available from the EU, it is in the first instance for the region to consider its own regional road network priorities within the framework of its regional funding allocation.

Air Pollution

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what targets his Department has set for air levels of (a) carbon monoxide, (b) lead, (c) nitrogen dioxide, (d) particles, (e) benzene and (f) 1.3 butadiene.

Stephen Ladyman: The Government and Devolved Administrations air quality policies are set out in detail in the Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, published in January 2000. An Addendum to the Strategy was published in February 2003. Copies of both documents are available in the Library of the House.
	The strategy sets objectives for nine main air pollutants to protect human health and two objectives to protect vegetation and ecosystems. The air pollutants covered by the strategy are benzene; 1,3-butadiene; carbon monoxide; lead; nitrogen dioxide; particles (PM10); ozone; sulphur dioxide and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

Buses

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what are the passenger use figures for each of the 43 bus schemes that will receive funding under the scheme announced by his Department on 1 November, for each year since 1997;
	(2)  if he will list the 43 bus schemes that will receive funding under the scheme announced by his Department on 1 November.

Alistair Darling: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement of 1 November 2005 announcing the results of the Kickstart competition. A list of the schemes was placed in the Libraries of the House.
	The schemes are for new, or in some cases substantially enhanced, services which will begin operation in the new few months, now that funding has been announced. The question of passenger use figures in prior years for the services concerned does not therefore arise.

Congestion (Urban Areas)

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what targets his Department has set for reducing congestion in urban areas.

Stephen Ladyman: In July 2005 the Government published a new public service agreement target for urban congestion that, by 201011, the 10 largest urban areas will meet the congestion targets set in their Local Transport Plan relating to movement on main roads into city centres.
	Local Transport Plans will be published in March 2006.

Correspondence

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he will respond to the letter of 19 October from the hon. Member for Bexhill and Battle on train services from Bexhill to London Victoria.

Derek Twigg: We have no record of a letter of 19 October. I have written to the hon. Member today in response to his letter of 14 September.

Driving Licences

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people have had their driving licences removed due to their use of illicit substances since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: Data are only immediately available for the past and current financial year. They are as follows:
	April 2004 to March 2005976 licences refused or revoked for drug misuse/dependence
	April 2005 to October 2005784 licences refused or revoked for drug misuse/dependence
	These figures do not include licences revoked by the courts.

Driving Licences

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many applications for driving licences had documents lost (a) by and (b) in transit to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in 200405.

Stephen Ladyman: During the financial year 200405 the number of documents in support of driving licence applications lost by DVLA was 734 (0.01 per cent. of the 6.8 million driving licences issued last year). Holders of digitised UK passports now need only to quote the number on the application form and do not need to forward the document to DVLA.
	No record of non-receipt of applications (including associated documents) is kept. Drivers are advised that the responsibility for their delivery rests with Royal Mail.

Highways Agency

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment the Highways Agency makes of the likely impact on traffic on Agency-controlled roads (a) before and (b) after construction of major schemes on surrounding roads which are not operated by the agency.

Stephen Ladyman: The Highways Agency is consulted on all developments, including road schemes, that impact on the strategic road network. All major proposals are required by the planning system to have a full transport and environmental impact appraisal carried out. The agency can and does comment on these impacts.
	The agency does not specifically assess other authorities' schemes after construction but regularly monitors traffic flows on the strategic network.

Inter-urban Congestion

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the level of inter-urban congestion was (a) in 2000 and (b) at the latest date for which figures are available; and what the predicted level for 2010 is.

Stephen Ladyman: In 2000, congestion was measured on the basis of average vehicle delay, using data derived from floating car surveys, and comparing actual traffic speeds with those that would be achievable by a car in the absence of other traffic. Full details of the methodology are available on the Department's website at:
	www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_transstats/documents/page/dft_transstats_021863.pdf
	Under this measure, the estimated average vehicle delay in 2000 in England was 3.2 seconds lost per vehicle kilometre (sec/vkm) on inter-urban motorways and trunk roads.
	The Government published predictions of the level of average vehicle delay in the Transport Ten Year Plan 2000: Delivering better transportprogress report (December 2002) to which I refer the hon. Member. The Progress Report also announced that the Government were developing new indicators of congestion that would be more meaningful to road users and capture important aspects of congestion such as journey time reliability.
	In July 2005 the Department announced a new indicator of congestion looking at the reliability of journey times. Details are on the Department's website at http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_about/documents/page/dft_about_03057801.hcsp#P61_1195.
	The first data using the new indicator will be published in November 2005.

Learner Drivers (First Aid)

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will assess the merits of introducing an element of first aid training for people learning to drive; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 27 October 2005, Official Report, column 504W.

Marine Pollution

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list (a) marine, (b) oil and (c) other pollution incidences recorded in United Kingdom waters in each year since 1990 from shipping registered in (i) the UK, (ii) the EU and (iii) other countries; what actions were taken to clean up in each case; what the cost was; by whom this was paid; what fines were levied; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Information is not available in the form requested.
	The Advisory Committee on Protection of the Sea (ACOPS) produced a report entitled Long-term analysis of oil spill statistics for the waters around the British Isles 1964 to 1995. For this period the trend was for a consistent and continuing decline in the numbers of pollution incidents in UK waters accompanied by reductions in the annual total number of incidents attributed to the handling and transportation of oil around the UK coastline. The annual reports that have been produced between 1995 and 2004 have shown a continuation in these trends.
	The United Kingdom follows the internationally recognised 3-tiered classification of marine pollution. A Tier-3 spill would require a national response and activation of the national contingency plan.
	The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has a robust cost recovery regime that ensures, where possible, the polluter pays principle is applied. A recent example of this principle followed the grounding of the tug Vanguard in the Inner Sound between the Isle of Skye and the mainland in September 2004. MCA resources including equipment from national stockpiles were deployed. All costs incurred by the MCA have been recovered.

Marine Pollution

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the occasions since 1975 when ships have lost dangerous cargoes overboard in (a) United Kingdom waters, (b) the English channel and (c) the North sea; what cargo was lost in each case; and what was subsequently recovered.

Stephen Ladyman: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency uses data provided by the Advisory Committee on Protection of the Sea (ACOPS) and statistics are not available in the form requested. It can however be confirmed that such instances are few in number, coastguard experience suggests that around five or six incidents of cargo being lost overboard occur over the course of one year in United Kingdom waters and only a few of these can be listed as dangerous or harmful. In a circumstance where a dangerous or harmful cargo has been reported to have been lost overboard in UK waters the Maritime and Coastguard Agency would execute recovery where necessary and operationally possible.

Motorway Repairs

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment has been made of the health and safety implications of (a) how and (b) where motorists repair a punctured tyre on a motorway hard shoulder; if he will include guidance in the Highway code; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Guidance on breakdowns and accidents is already included in the Highway Code. Rule 249 of the Code (additional rules for the motorway) advises that road users should not attempt even simple repairs. They are further advised to use an emergency telephone in order to seek help.

Ports

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many UK ports are subject to the International Ship and Port Facility Security code regulations.

Stephen Ladyman: There are currently 524 separate UK port facilities that are subject to the regulations. A port can comprise one or more port facilities.

Ports

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how frequently UK ports are required to be inspected under the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code.

Stephen Ladyman: The International Ship and Port Facility Security Code does not specify inspection frequencies for port facilities.

Ports

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many ports in the UK exclusively serve ships of less than 500 tonnes gross.

Stephen Ladyman: This information is not held by the Department.

Private Motoring Costs

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the external costs associated with private motoring, with particular reference to environmental costs; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: A study 1 was undertaken for the Department in 1998 which made estimates of the external costs associated with surface transport. The table presents the estimates of the marginal external costs (cost per additional vehicle kilometre) associated with car use for 1998 as found by this study. The presentation of high and low values reflects the uncertainty associated with estimation of external costs.
	
		
			  Marginal cost (p/vkm), 1998 prices 
			  Low cost estimate High cost estimate 
		
		
			 Infrastructure 0.05 0.07 
			 Congestion 8.98 10.44 
			 Accidents 0.79 1.38 
			 Air pollution 0.18 0.88 
			 Noise 0.01 0.52 
			 Climate change 0.12 0.47 
		
	
	The pence per kilometre values for climate change found in the study were based on the recommended values at the time27/tonne of carbon in the low scenario and 106/tonne of carbon in the high scenario. Guidance from DEFRA that was published after the surface transport study was published advises that values of 35 per tonne of carbon be used for the low scenario and 140 per tonne for the high scenario. Therefore the values for climate change in the table should be uprated by around 30 per cent. to reflect the latest Defra values.
	1 Surface Transport Costs and Charges: Great Britain 1998. Final Report to DETR. Institute of Transport Studies and AEA Technology Environment (Sanson, T., Nash, C., Mackie, P., Shires, J., and Watkiss, P. (2001))

Railways

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many franchises were operated under a management only contract in each year between 1997 and 2004; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Management only contracts are those where the DfT Rail Group takes the full risk for the operation and pays the train operating company a management fee.
	Between 1997 and 2000 there were no such contracts. In 2001 there was one, between 2002 and 2004 there were two in each year.

Railways

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport on how many occasions the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising was forced to discharge its duty under section 30 of the Railways Act 1993 to ensure the continuity of railway services as the operator of last resort in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999, (d) 2000, (e) 2001, (f) 2002, (g) 2003 and (h) 2004; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The Strategic Rail Authority terminated the Connex South Eastern franchise in 2003. This resulted in the only occasion that Section 30 of the Railways Act 1993 has been used since the privatisation of the railways.

Railways

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of train overcrowding along the Hastings to Charing Cross line; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The latest available figures show that passenger loadings on the Hastings to Charing Cross line are within the permitted limits.

Railways

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  in light of the improved performance of South East Trains since it was returned to public hands, what lessons can be learned by private sector franchises;
	(2)  what assessment he has made whether there is a case for South East Trains to remain in public hands given its improvement in performance since its private sector franchise was removed.

Derek Twigg: The Future of Rail White Paper made it clear that our policy would be for rail franchises to continue to be operated by the private sector. Recent improvements in the performance of South East Trains (SET) have been encouraging, as has been the performance of other train operating companies. The improved performance of Network Rail has played a significant role in this.

Railways

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the availability to the public of contracts between the Government and the train operating companies.

Derek Twigg: Franchise agreements and associated documents which form the contracts between train operating companies and the Government are publicly available through the Department of Transport's Public Register. Members of the public can either consult the register in person or request register material from the Department.

Reversing Vehicles

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what regulations apply to the use of audible warning devices on reversing vehicles; whether the inclusion of advertising in such warnings is permitted; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Legislation governing the use of audible warning devices on reversing vehicles is contained in Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986. Regulation 37 states that a reversing alarm should not be strident, whilst Regulation 99 restricts such devices for use on goods-vehicles over two tonnes gross weight, buses, engineering plant, refuse vehicles and works trucks. The regulations do not specifically prohibit advertising in the warnings.

Road Accidents

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport by how much the number of individuals killed and seriously injured on roads changed in (a) 2000 and (b) 2005 to date compared with 1994 to 1998 levels (i) in England and (ii) in relation to (A) children aged under 16 years and (B) adults, broken down by social class; and what the predicted levels are for 2010.

Stephen Ladyman: The numbers of child (aged 0 to 15) and adult killed and seriously injured casualties in personal injury road accidents in England for the years 2000 and 2004 (the latest year for which figures are available), compared with the 199498 baseline average and the percentage change are shown in following table.
	
		
			  Child KSI Adult KSI 
		
		
			 199498(3) 5,729 35,085 
			 2000 4,417 31,449 
			 2004 3,353 26,418 
			 2002(4) -23 -10 
			 2004(4) -41 -25 
		
	
	(3) Average
	(4) Percentage change over.
	Information on social class of casualties is not available. The Department's projection is that it remains on track to achieve the casualty reduction targets set out in the March 2000 road safety strategy Tomorrow's roadssafer for everyone.

School Transport (Cycling)

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many cycle journeys were made to schools in the 12 months (a) prior to the establishment of the Bike It scheme and (b) since the establishment of the scheme;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Bike It scheme; how many school travel advisers have been appointed under the scheme; and what is the average cost of employing a school travel adviser.

Alistair Darling: Cycle journeys at the 40 Bike It schools increased from 2 per cent. before the scheme was established in May 2004 to 8 per cent. in June 2005. A report from Sustrans who manage the scheme has been placed in the House Library. The Department's new expert advisory body on cycling, Cycling England, has made an assessment of the scheme and has decided it has been sufficiently successful to include in their work plan for the next three years. The scheme did not appoint any school travel advisers but did appoint four Bike It officers who add value to the work of local authority school travel advisers. The average cost to employ an officer is 45,000 per annum. This includes salary and all overheads.

School Transport (Cycling)

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent developing the Bike for All website; and what assessment has been made of its effectiveness.

Alistair Darling: In total, the Department for Transport has invested 30,000, excluding VAT, on developing the Bike For All cycling portal.
	Cycling England, through DFT funding, is also committed to making a contribution of 11,200 in the current and next financial years towards the editorial content and maintenance of the site.
	Success has primarily been measured by the number of visitors, which over the last 3 months has averaged just under 500 a day.

Seatbelts Legislation

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on planned changes at (a) national and (b) EU level to legislation relating to the installation and wearing of seatbelts.

Stephen Ladyman: Recently published European legislation will extend the mandatory requirement for the installation of seat belts to buses (except urban buses), coaches and goods vehicles. This is broadly in line with UK requirements in place since October 2001. European legislation will also prohibit the installation of sideways facing seats in new types of vehicle. Certain types of coach used to provide conferencing facilities are exempt from this until October 2010. Accident data will then be reviewed to determine whether the exemption should be extended. Otherwise, these requirements will apply to new types of vehicle being brought to the market from October 2006 and to all newly registered vehicles from October 2007.
	Regulations are in preparation to come into force in 2006 (subject to Parliamentary approval) which will introduce a requirement for passengers in buses and coaches aged three years and above to wear seat belts where they are available when in seats other than the front. This follows a Departmental consultation in 2004 about changes needed in seat belt wearing regulations to transpose the requirements of European Directive 20/2003/EC into domestic legislation. The consultation document and the subsequent decision letter are available on-line at www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_rdsafety/documents/divisionhomepage/039143.hcs.
	The Department is considering the results of consultation about changes needed to transpose the same Directive's requirements for the compulsory use of child restraints in cars and goods vehicles, and related issues. The consultation document is available at www. dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_control/documents/contentservertemplate/dft_index.hcst?n=13759l=2.

SCOTLAND

Criminal Offences

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by his Department between May 1997 and the end of April 2005, broken down by Act.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office was formed on 1 July 1999 and has sponsored two pieces of primary legislation between then and the end of April 2005, the Sunday Working (Scotland) Act 2003 and the Scottish Parliament (Constituencies) Act 2004. Neither Act created criminal offences.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the impact of British armed forces' presence in Afghanistan on the supply of heroin to the UK.

John Reid: First let me extend my condolences to the family and friends of Lance Corporal Steven Sherwood of the Royal Gloucestershire Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment who was killed in a shooting incident at Mazar-e-Sharif last month, and to the family and friends of Sergeant Christian Hickey of the 1st Battalion the Coldstream Guards who was killed by an improvised explosive device in Basra last month.
	British forces are in Afghanistan to deny terrorists a base by helping the Government to develop their democracy, security, and economy. If the economy is to thrive we must help the Afghan Government to tackle the narcotics trade which also feeds 90 per cent. of the heroin supply in the UK. This is in the interests of both our countries.
	My right hon. Friend the Minister for the armed forces has today issued a statement on contingency planning for phase three of ISAF.

Deepcut Barracks

Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the release to Parliament of the review by Nicholas Blake QC into the deaths of young soldiers at Deepcut.

Adam Ingram: Nicholas Blake's plan is to publish his report before Christmas; if that proves to be impracticable, the report will be published in January. When I announced that Mr. Blake would conduct the review I confirmed that his report would be published in full, together with my response to it.

Shipbuilding

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will take steps to ensure a regular supply of defence work for the shipbuilding industry.

Adam Ingram: A joint and detailed view of the forward maritime programme is being developed with industry. This has been done in order to create a potentially more balanced and stable industrial demand within affordability and capability constraints. The detail will be refined as work continues to develop a strategy to sustain key industrial capabilities and to improve efficiency in the United Kingdom maritime sector.

Arctic Convoys

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will discuss with the Prime Minister further recognition of those who served in the Arctic convoys.

Don Touhig: The Government have the greatest respect for all those who served at sea during the Second World War, whether they were transporting the supplies to or from the United Kingdom or protecting the sea lanes. Their gallant efforts and their many sacrifices have not been forgotten.
	On 7 March 2005, the Prime Minister announced the introduction of a new Arctic Emblem, which could be worn as a unique addition to medals. There are no plans to seek further recognition.

Recruitment

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on trends in recruitment for the armed forces.

Don Touhig: In the first five months of this financial year the armed forces gained 6,190 new recruits from civilian life. This represents 32 per cent. of the recruiting target and is comparable to the position at the same point in the last financial year.

Recruitment

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent measures have been taken by the Defence Recruiting Committee to promote recruitment from members of minority ethnic groups; and what targets for minority ethnic recruitment have been set for each of the services.

Don Touhig: The Defence Recruiting Committee, through its Diversity Recruiting Sub-Committee, undertakes many and varied recruiting and outreach activities to promote recruitment from minority ethnic groups.
	All three services have specialist Diversity Action Teams aimed at promoting armed forces careers. These teams continue to engage with all ethnic minority groups to raise awareness of service careers and to improve representation. Religious leaders from minority faiths have been appointed to act as advisers on matters of religious requirements and to ensure that personnel from minority faiths receive appropriate pastoral and spiritual care.
	The Specialist Recruitment Teams continue to concentrate their efforts on high ethnic minority population areas, especially Greater London, and to create new and build on existing ethnic minority community partnerships. These partnerships involve links with secondary schools, local/borough councils, community organisations, religious organisations, employment groups, youth centres, festival organisers and the ethnic media.
	The recruiting goal for this financial year is for each service to increase incrementally the proportion of UK ethnic minority recruits by 0.5 per cent. above last year's goal. To this end, the financial year 200506 goals are: naval service 3.5 per cent.; Army 3.9 per cent.; RAF 3.6 per cent.

Recruitment

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the minimum entry criteria are for recruitment into the armed services.

Don Touhig: Details of the basic entry eligibility criteria can be found on each Service's careers website. The website addresses are:
	www.royalnavy.mod.uk
	www.army.mod.uk
	www.rafcareers.com

Cadet Forces (Kettering)

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the contribution made by cadet forces in Kettering constituency.

Don Touhig: Like all members of the cadet forces, the cadets in Kettering make a positive contribution to their local community through being actively involved in local events and supporting both local and national charities and local community projects.

Royal Regiment of Scotland

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence If he will make a statement on the progress made to date on the formation of the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Adam Ingram: The Royal Regiment of Scotland will be formed from the current battalions within the Scottish Division around March of next year. The amalgamation of the 1st Battalion The Royal Scots (The Royal Regiment) with the 1st Battalion The King's Own Scottish Borderers will occur later in the same year.
	The new cap badge of the Royal Regiment of Scotland was announced during the Edinburgh Military Tattoo on 16 August and symbolises a distinctive Scottish identity. The final decisions on the basing, regimental headquarters and dress of the Royal Regiment of Scotland are still being considered.

Defence Industrial Strategy

David Borrow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultation his Department undertook in preparing the defence industrial strategy.

Don Touhig: The Defence Industrial Strategy is a top priority for the Government and is designed to ensure that the capability requirements of the UK armed forces can be met, now and in the future. Work is progressing apace, with the intention to publish before Christmas. In conducting the work, we have been taking the views of a very broad spectrum of stakeholders, including industry at many levels.

Reserve Forces

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the manning levels of the reserve forces.

Don Touhig: Based on our current plans, manning levels in the reserve forces are sufficient to support current and future operations.

Service Family Associations

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent meetings he has had with associations representing service families;

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what meetings he has had recently with associations representing service families.

Don Touhig: I have had regular contact with Service Families Federations, most recently in the Families Forum in September, when I heard from and discussed with the chairs of the Families Federations many of the most compelling families issues. I am pleased to say that the representations of the federations on behalf of all service families form an integral part of our work for them.

Iraq

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what troop movements are anticipated in Iraq during the next three months.

John Reid: The routine roulement of UK forces in Multi-National Division (South-East) (MND(SE)), began in October, and is due to complete by the end of November. The next routine roulement of UK forces is expected to take place in May 2006, and will be announced in due course.

Iraq

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many (a) Sea King, (b) Merlin and (c) Lynx helicopters are deployed to Iraq; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the helicopter flying hours are for Multi-National Division South East for each month since May; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what proportion of British troop movements within Multi-National Division (South-East) in Iraq is conducted by (a) air and (b) road; and if he will make a statement.

John Reid: We currently have 20 helicopters in the Multi-National Division (South-East). For reasons of operational security we do not comment upon the exact breakdown of these aircraft by type, the flying hours for the Multi National Division (South-East) or on the proportion of British movements overall in MND (SE) that are conducted by air. Information on the proportion of British movements conducted by air and road is not held centrally. Priority for the allocation of helicopter use is an operational decision.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has received evidence of involvement by the Mujaheddin for Islamic Revolution in Iraq in the death of British service personnel.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 1 November 2005
	The deaths of British forces in Iraq are investigated by the Special Investigations Branch. We do not disclose the detail of this work in order not to compromise any potential prosecutions. Where an evidential case can be built against individuals, appropriate measures will be taken, irrespective of their affiliation to any particular organisation.

Iraq

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart regarding the future of the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: We hold regular discussions with our coalition partners, including the United States, about progress in Iraq. The Iraqi port authorities assumed responsibility for the ports at Umm Qasr North and Umm Qasr South in summer 2004 and, as such, decisions on the future of the ports will be a matter for the Iraqi authorities. The United Kingdom will continue, as part of our wider security sector reform work, to provide training to the Iraqi port security guards until they achieve the level of capability required to provide security themselves.

1st Battalion Royal Highland Fusiliers

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers from the 1st Battalion Royal Highland Fusiliers have gone absent without leave in the past 12 months.

Adam Ingram: Unit records provide details of individuals who have been absent for a period of more than seven days. In the last 12 months, this information shows 18 soldiers from the 1st Battalion Royal Highland Fusiliers recorded as absent without leave.

Advisory Bodies

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which the Government is required to (a) consult prior to legislative proposals and (b) publish their response to advice from.

Don Touhig: The MOD has no Advisory Non-Departmental Public Bodies (ANDPBs) which the Government are required to consult prior to legislative proposals being made.
	The Government are required to publish their responses to recommendations made by the Armed Forces Pay Review Body. Government and ANDPBs are subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.

Advisory Bodies

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department have a statutory base; which of his Department's non-departmental public bodies (a) publish their advice to Government, (b) publish an annual report and (c) lay an annual report before Parliament; and if he will indicate in each case whether this is a statutory requirement.

Don Touhig: The MOD has no Advisory Non-Departmental Public Bodies (ANDPBs) with a statutory basis.
	The situation in relation to the publication of advice and reports for each of MOD's 11 ANDPBs is set out as follows.
	The Central Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors (ACCO).
	Advice to the MOD is not published. Annual reports are available on request. They are not laid before Parliament. There is no statutory requirement to publish advice or annual reports.
	The Advisory Group on Medical Countermeasures (AGMC).
	Advice to the MOD is not published. Annual reports are published. They are not laid before Parliament. There is no statutory requirement to publish advice or annual reports.
	The Animal Welfare Advisory Group (AWAC).
	Some AWAC advice to MOD is published in minutes of their meetings. Annual reports are published and laid before Parliament. There is no statutory requirement to publish advice or annual reports.
	The Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB).
	The AFPRB publishes its advice to Government through an annual report which is laid before Parliament. There is no statutory requirement to publish advice or annual reports.
	Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions and War Pensions Committees.
	Advice and reports to MOD are not published or laid before Parliament although general information on the activities of the War Pensions committees is published in the Veteran's Agency annual War Pensioner's Report. There is no statutory requirement to publish advice or annual reports.
	Dartmoor Steering Group (DSG).
	There is no formal publication of the DSG's advice to MOD although it informs the strategic management of the Dartmoor Training area. An Annual Report is submitted to the Secretaries of State for Defence and the Environment and a copy laid in the House of Commons Library. This is a statutory requirement.
	Defence Nuclear Safety Committee (DNSC).
	Advice to MOD is not published. Annual reports are not published or laid before Parliament. There is no statutory requirement to publish advice or annual reports.
	Nuclear Research Advisory Committee (NRAC).
	Advice to MOD is not published. Annual reports are not published or laid before Parliament. There is no statutory requirement to publish advice or annual reports.
	National Employers Advisory Board (NEAB).
	Advice to MOD is not published. Annual reports are published and copies are placed in the Libraries of the House. There is no statutory requirement to publish advice or annual reports.
	Defence Scientific Advisory Council (DSAC).
	Advice to MOD is not published. Annual reports are published. They are not laid before Parliament. There is no statutory requirement to publish advice or annual reports.
	Review Board for Government Contracts (RBGC).
	The recommendations of the RGBC to MOD concerning the pricing of non competitive Government contracts are normally published. Such reports together with annual reports on running costs are placed in both Libraries of the House. There is no statutory requirement to publish advice or annual reports.

Advisory Bodies

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department (a) hold public meetings, (b) conduct public consultation excercises, (c) conduct consultation excercises with outside commercial interests, (d) publish a register of member's interests, (e) publish agendas for meetings and (f) publish the minutes of meetings; and whether in each case this is a statutory requirement.

Don Touhig: Information on (a), (d) and (f) is published in the Cabinet Office's Public Bodies Directory at http://www.knowledgenetwork.gov.uk/ndpb
	The remaining information requested for each of MOD's 11 Advisory Non Departmental Public Bodies (ANDPBs) is as follows.
	Central Advisory Committee on Conscientious Objectors (ACCO)
	ACCO does not conduct public consultation exercises or consultation exercises with outside commercial interests. It does not publish agendas for meetings (it holds hearings that are listed in the building to hold the hearing). There is no statutory requirement to hold meetings, conduct consultation with the public or outside commercial interests, publish a register of members' interests or agendas and minutes.
	Advisory Group on Medical Countermeasures (AGMC)
	AGMC does not conduct public consultation exercises, consultation exercises with outside commercial interests or publish agendas. There is no statutory requirement to hold meetings, conduct consultation with the public or outside commercial interests, publish a register of members' interests or agendas and minutes.
	Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (AWAC)
	The AWAC does not conduct public consultation exercises, consultation exercises with outside commercial interests or publish agendas. There is no statutory requirement to hold meetings, conduct consultation with the public or outside commercial interests, publish a register of members' interests or agendas and minutes.
	The Armed Forces Pay Review Body (AFPRB)
	The AFPRB does not conduct public consultation exercises. It may commission independent research from external consultants. It does not publish agendas for meetings. There is no statutory requirement to hold meetings, conduct consultation with the public or outside commercial interests, publish a register of members' interests or agendas and minutes.
	Central Advisory Committee on War Pensions and War Pensions Committees
	They do not conduct public consultation exercises, consultation exercises with outside commercial interests or publish agendas. There is no statutory requirement to hold meetings, conduct consultation with the public or outside commercial interests, publish a register of members' interests or agendas and minutes.
	Dartmoor Steering Group (DSG)
	The DSG does not conduct public consultation exercises, consultation exercises with outside commercial interests or publish agendas for its annual meeting. There is no statutory requirement to hold meetings, conduct consultation with the public or outside commercial interests, publish a register of members' interests or agendas and minutes.
	Defence Nuclear Safety Committee (DNSC)
	The DNSC does not conduct public consultation exercises, consultation exercises with outside commercial interests or agendas. There is no statutory requirement to hold meetings, conduct consultation with the public or outside commercial interests, publish a register of members' interests or agendas and minutes.
	Defence Scientific Advisory Committee (DSAC)
	The DSAC does not conduct public consultation exercises, consultation exercises with outside commercial interests or publish agendas. There is no statutory requirement to hold meetings, conduct consultation with the public or outside commercial interests, publish a register of members' interests or agendas and minutes.
	National Employers Advisory Board (NEAB)
	NEAB does not conduct public consultation exercises. Individual NEAB members may consult with outside agencies when forming their input to NEAB advice. It does not publish agendas for meetings. There is no statutory requirement to hold meetings, conduct consultation with the public or outside commercial interests, publish a register of members' interests or agendas and minutes.
	Nuclear Research Advisory Committee (NRAC)
	The NRAC does not conduct public consultation exercises. Individual NEAB members may consult with outside agencies when forming their input to NEAB advice. It does not publish agendas for meetings. There is no statutory requirement to hold meetings, conduct consultation with the public or outside commercial interests, publish a register of members' interests or agendas and minutes.
	Review Board for Government Contracts (RBGC)
	The RBGC does not conduct public consultation exercises. During their periodic reviews of the profit, formula for non-competitive Government contracts the RBGC invites submissions from the Joint Review Board Advisory Committee (JRBAC). The JRBAC, a committee whose membership is drawn from UK defence contractors, acts under delegation from the Confederation of British Industry, to represent industry on review board matters. The Review Board may, in conducting its reviews, take account not only of submissions made by the Government or industry, but also any representations made to it by any person or body it wishes to consult. It does not publish agendas.
	There is no statutory requirement to hold meetings, conduct consultation with the public or outside commercial interests, publish a register of members' interests or agendas and minutes.

Armed Services (Training)

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the terms of reference were for research he has undertaken into the impact of poor basic skills on drop out rates from Phase I and Phase II training in the armed services; what the principal conclusions were of this research; and if he will place a copy of the results in the Library.

Don Touhig: To date, no studies have been undertaken specifically looking at the impact of poor basic skills on the drop out rates from Phase 1 and 2 training, although the Army plans to conduct one in 2006.

Armed Services (Training)

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the wastage rates were in each of the four largest army Phase II training establishments in each of the last four years for which figures are available.

Don Touhig: The information requested is not held in the format requested. The table covers the last four financial years and shows the number of soldiers entering the four largest Army Phase 2 training establishments: Infantry Training Centre (Catterick) (ITC(C)), Defence College of Logistics (DCL), Royal School of Military Engineers (RSME) and the Defence College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (DCEME) and the level of wastage from training over the same period.
	
		
			  200102 200203 200304 200405 
			 Unit Input Wastage Input Wastage Input Wastage Input Wastage 
		
		
			 ITC(C) 4,080 420 4,100 970 5,250 1,180 3,240 950 
			 DCL 1,520 200 2,140 250 1,860 200 1,480 170 
			 RSME 940 10 1,390 40 1,150 130 1,280 140 
			 DCEME 760 170 1,230 240 1,220 140 1,300 140 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	Direct comparison between the input and wastage figures in any particular year can be misleading because of varying course lengths and fluctuations in numbers under training. The overall underlying wastage rate at Phase 2 over the last few years has, however, shown a slight increase. It should also be noted that, since April 2002, the Infantry has run a combined Phase 1 and 2 course at ITC(C); figures since this date therefore include numbers for Phase 1 where generally the level of wastage is higher.

Armed Services (Training)

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance he has issued to the Army Personnel Centre in Glasgow concerning vetting procedures for military and civilian instructors at initial training establishments.

Don Touhig: While no specific guidance has been issued to the Army Personnel Centre (APC) concerning vetting for military instructors at initial training establishments, the APC has procedures in place to confirm the suitability of an individual selected for this type of employment.
	Civilian instructors are managed by the Army Training and Recruiting Agency and screened for their suitability by the Defence Vetting Agency.
	There is currently no requirement for either military or civilian instructors to undergo Criminal Records Bureau Employment Checks. However, this policy is currently under review.

Armed Services (Training)

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent changes he has made to the content of induction courses for staff and trainees at initial training establishments to identify at risk behaviour of trainees.

Don Touhig: Training to help instructors identify 'at risk' behaviour in trainees is provided in the 'Train the Trainer' (TTT) courses currently offered by the Defence Centre of Training Support. A new TTT package providing enhanced coverage of the subject will be mandated for all instructors, including staff in initial training establishments, from April 2006. The Department is currently piloting elements of this new course with the Army.
	Concurrently all three services have introduced enhancements to induction training for new staff and to the arrival briefings given to trainees. New training staff now receive guidance from appropriately qualified personnel on how to recognize symptoms of at risk behaviour in trainees, including suicide, self-harm and bullying, and what corrective or referral action to take. In addition, arrival briefings for trainees have now been revised to include more emphasis on diversity and potential self-harm and bullying issues, including how to look out for each other and how to take appropriate referral action.

Armoured Protection

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department plans to ensure the provision of (a) fully armoured vehicles and (b) body armour to all UK troops in combat.

Adam Ingram: We issue body armour to all UK troops on operations. We deploy vehicles with a level of protection commensurate with their operational role and with the threat, which we keep under continuous review.

Bullying

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the findings were of the Special Investigation Branch investigation of allegations of bullying involving soldiers of the Royal Highlands Fusiliers at Fort George Barracks, Inverness and on overseas duty in Cyprus.

Don Touhig: The Special Investigation Branch investigation into anonymous allegations of bullying covered in several newspapers has been completed and found no evidence to substantiate the allegations. During the course of the investigation, a number of additional allegations were made. These were pursued separately; most have been concluded with no evidence of wrongdoing, but some are still ongoing.

Civil Contingency Reaction Force

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many of the reservists who are part of the civil contingency reaction force have been deployed to Iraq; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many of each of the civil contingency reaction force contingents are available to be deployed in the event of an emergency; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Details of those members of the civil contingency reaction force (CCRF), who have been deployed to Iraq, are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, I can confirm that, when CCRF members are mobilised for overseas commitments, they are immediately replaced by other personnel.
	All CCRF contingents would be available to be deployed, if required, in the event of an emergency.

Courts Martial

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Attorney-General about the operation and supervision of the system of courts martial; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence and the Attorney-General have a strong mutual interest in the military criminal justice system. The three Service prosecuting authorities are subject to the general superintendence of the Attorney-General in their independent discharge of their statutory functions. A major Bill concerning the military justice system is to be introduced by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, shortly. It is therefore clearly appropriate that given their respective roles and responsibilities, the Secretary of State and Attorney-General exchange views on the subject of the military justice system.

Courts Martial

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the oral Answer of 7 November 2005, Official Report, columns 2130, on courts martial, what the cost was of converting the court martial building at Colchester for trial of serving and former members of the Parachute Regiment accused of murdering an Iraqi citizen.

Adam Ingram: The final cost of converting the building used for this court martial is expected to be in the region of 77,000. This covered basic repairs to the building including roof repair, lighting, heating and access for the disabled. On current plans, the building will be used for at least one other multiple defendant trial.

Damages

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the 10 largest amounts of damages paid out by his Department in the last year for which figures are available, indicating in each case the nature of the claim.

Don Touhig: The information requested is contained in the Ministry of Defence's Claims Annual Report 20042005, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Defence Aviation and Repair Agency

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the Defence Aviation and Repair Agency.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made to the House on 8 November 2005.

Departmental Consultants/Special Advisers

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) consultants and (b) special advisers were employed by his Department in each year since 1997; what the cost of each was in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: Specific data on the number of consultants employed by the Ministry of Defence is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, summaries of MOD expenditure on External Assistance, of which consultancy is a part, are available in the Library of the House for the years 199596 to 200405.
	With respect to Special Advisers, this information is collated separately and is announced to the House at the end of each Parliamentary session. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced on 21 July 2005, Official Report, column 161WS, that the MOD had two Special Advisers who were employed within Special Advisers Pay Band 2 and 3 respectively.

Departmental Staffing

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons the average number of whole-time equivalent persons employed by his Department increased in financial year 200405 compared with 200304.

Don Touhig: The increase in the average number of full time equivalents from 200304 to 200405 was due to a temporary increase in the number of permanent and casual civilian staff and an increase in the number of locally employed civilians in Iraq and Sierra Leone. The overall trend, however, is downwards. Since April 2004, the total number of civilians employed by the Department (including its trading funds) has reduced from 109,050 full time equivalents to 106,270 (1 October 2005).

Future Aircraft Carriers

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the exact roles and responsibilities of each member of the Future Carrier Alliance are; when he will have a clear indication of the accurate costings of building the two new aircraft carrier ships; what the current budget for building the two new aircraft carriers is; whether French shipyards will have a role in the building of the hulls of the two aircraft carriers; and what meetings he has held with other Government Departments on the Defence Industrial Strategy work.

Adam Ingram: Roles and responsibilities within the Carrier Alliance will be underpinned by commercial arrangements designed to align all parties to common project objectives. The industrial participants will agree contracts which will set out clearly their responsibilities in terms of areas of work related to the Carriers and the interface between the various parties, the risk that each party is taking on and where the accountability for each of these lies. These will form part of the overall shipbuild strategy and will be finalised when the main investment decision is taken.
	Estimated costs are being constantly refined and will not be bound until the main investment decision, though we are confident that the continuing work to mature our cost, schedule and risk information will ensure the capability required is affordable.
	Given that both the UK and France are embarking on major, complex carrier procurement projects, we are examining areas of mutual benefit and opportunities to deliver economies. It is for industry to put forward proposals which will be judged on their merits and in light of national policies.
	As one would expect in the development of any Government strategy which requires the perspective of several Government Departments, there have been a number of meetings at ministerial level with Ministers and officials from other Government Departments. These have included the Department of Trade and Industry, Her Majesty's Treasury and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Generals

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many serving generals have never had operational responsibilities in a conflict zone; and how many have had no such responsibilities since 1995.

Adam Ingram: There are currently 56 General officers serving in the Regular Army, of whom 12 have never had any operational responsibilities in a conflict zone. All except one of the remaining 44 have had such responsibilities since 1995. The definition of a conflict zone excludes peace-keeping operations with the United Nations in Cyprus and service in support of the civil police in Northern Ireland.

Gulf War Immunisations

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research his Department is carrying out to establish whether the combination of immunisations against chemical and biological weapons given to service personnel before and during the 199091 Gulf war was medically harmful; and what the findings of the research have been to date.

Don Touhig: A programme of research, overseen by an independent panel of experts, has investigated the possible adverse health effects of the combination of vaccines and tablets which were given to UK personnel to protect them against the threat of biological and chemical warfare during the 199091 Gulf conflict.
	The core study in the programme has been undertaken at Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Porton Down and involved monitoring for a range of effects in marmosets for up to 18 months following the administration of vaccines and/or pyridostigmine bromide (the active ingredient in nerve agent pre-treatment tablets). Interim results, announced on 1 April 2003, Official Report, column 55WS, have been published and showed no apparent adverse health consequences. Final results are expected to be submitted for peer-reviewed publication shortly.
	A second study has investigated the specific combination of anthrax and pertussis vaccines. This work was carried out by the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control. Publication of the final results was announced on 21 July 2005, Official Report, column 117WS. In mice, pertussis vaccine, vaccine combinations, or aluminium salt caused illness; anthrax vaccine produced little effect; diluted vaccine combinations produced less serious side effects of shorter duration. As the researchers pointed out, caution should be exercised in applying these results to humans because of the relatively high dosage used in the tests and the very different sensitivity to these vaccines in mice and humans.
	A third study has examined whether staff from Dstl Porton Down who received multiple vaccinations, including anti-biological warfare vaccinations, in the course of their duties have higher levels of recorded sick leave than their unvaccinated colleagues. The results of this study will also be submitted for publication shortly.
	Further details are on our website at:
	www.mod.uk/issues/gulfwar/research/interact.htm

Gulf War Immunisations

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes were made to the (a) number and (b) nature of the immunisations against chemical and biological weapons given to service personnel for service in the 2003 Gulf War compared with those given for service in the 199091 Gulf war.

Don Touhig: A total of two immunisations against chemical and biological weapons were offered to service personnel deploying on Operation Granby (19901 Gulf war). The immunisations were for anthrax (which was administered with a pertussis adjuvant) and for plague.
	A total of two immunisations against chemical and biological weapons were offered to service personnel deploying on Operation Telic (2003 Gulf war). The immunisations were for anthrax (without a pertussis adjuvant) and for smallpox. The latter was only offered to a small cohort of personnel which included nuclear biological and chemical specialists and medical personnel who would have been part of the first response in the event of a smallpox incident.

IT Projects

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the IT projects costing over 1 million in use in his Department and introduced since 1997 have been scrutinised by the Public Accounts Committee; and if he will list them.

Don Touhig: None.

Landing Ships Dock (Auxiliary) Project

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence why the Integrated Project Team leader for the Landing Ships Dock (Auxiliary) Project has resigned.

Adam Ingram: The Integrated Project Team leader for the Landing Ships Dock (Auxiliary) Project has not resigned.

Married Quarters

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was in each of the last five years of upgrading properties in his Department's married quarters estate; and what the planned expenditure is for the next five years.

Don Touhig: I can confirm that the costs of upgrading service families accommodation for the last five financial years were:
	
		
			 Financial year  million 
		
		
			 200001 62.8 
			 200102 78.0 
			 200203 53.6 
			 200304 43.9 
			 200405 23.2 
		
	
	These figures do not include new build properties.
	In accordance with departmental policy, the detail of forward spending plans is being withheld because it relates to the formulation of policy.

Medical Negligence

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time members of the armed forces have sued the Department for medical negligence in each of the past five years.

Don Touhig: The MOD does not record the information in a format which will readily identify full-time and part-time members of the armed forces who make claims.
	The number of claims for compensation received in each of the past five years in which allegations of clinical negligence have been made is shown in the table:
	
		
			 Financial year Number of claims received 
		
		
			 200405 86 
			 200304 92 
			 200203 119 
			 200102 142 
			 200001 128

Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability Project

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability project.

Adam Ingram: The Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) project has been established to investigate a wide range of solutions to provide the capability to meet the future logistic support requirements of the Royal Navy and to provide sea-based support to deployed forces. It is too early to say what the final designs and specifications for the vessels might be. We will use the Assessment Phase to look into the potential options before any decisions are made at the Main Gate investment point.

Military Bases (Designated Areas)

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the bases which are designated areas under the terms of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001.

Adam Ingram: There is no provision for such designations under the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001.

Military Establishments (Incidents)

Joan Humble: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what dates he (a) received and (b) agreed protocol between service police forces and Home Department police forces on dealing with deaths or injuries likely to result in death on military establishments; and if he will place a copy of the protocol in the Library.

Adam Ingram: Following detailed negotiations which began in December 2004, a protocol between the Secretary of State for Defence and the Association of Chief Police Officers has recently been finalised. The protocol reinforces the fact that primacy for conducting investigations into all deaths, or serious deaths where death is likely, on military establishments in the UK rests with the chief officer of the Home Department police force under whose jurisdiction the death occurs. The protocol, which covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland, was signed on behalf of the Secretary of State and a representative from the Association of Chief Police Officers on 7 November 2005. Copies of the protocol will be placed in the Library in the near future. An identical but separate protocol is being drawn up between a representative of the Secretary of State and the Association of Chief Police Officers (Scotland). Copies will be placed in the Library once this has been signed.

Military/Police Assistance

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information his Department has published on military and related police assistance provided to foreign governments since 27 February 1998.

Adam Ingram: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, I refer my hon. Friend to the answers given on 22 June 2005, Official Report, columns 106264W; 20 July 2005, Official Report, column 1751W; 10 October 2005, Official Report, columns 1920W; and 24 October 2005, Official Report, column 26W, all of which provide relevant information.
	The Ministry of Defence regularly publishes general information on military assistance to foreign governments, most recently in Delivering Security in a Changing World, Supporting Essays (Cm 604111) and the Ministry of Defence Annual Reports and Accounts 20042005 (HC 464).

Missing Weapons

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Army (a) handguns, (b) rifles and (c) other weapons went missing in the UK in each year since 1997; and how many were recovered over the same timescale.

Adam Ingram: The information requested for the period 1 January 1997 to 15 October 2005 is detailed in the table.
	
		
			  Handguns lost Handguns recovered Rifles lost Rifles recovered Other weapon losses Other weapons recovered 
		
		
			 1997 1 0 5 3 0 0 
			 1998 5 1 1 0 0 0 
			 1999 2 1 5 1 0 0 
			 2000 20 3 6 1 3 0 
			 2001 3 1 7 1 4 0 
			 2002 1 0 1 0 0 0 
			 2003 1 0 2 2 6 2 
			 2004 1 0 4 1 4 0 
			 2005 5 1 5 1 0 0 
			 Total 39 7 36 10 17 2

Noise-induced Hearing Loss

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was spent on (a) war disablement pensions and (b) Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments for noise-induced hearing loss, in each year since 1990.

Don Touhig: holding answer 10 November 2005
	War pensions are not awarded for individual conditions, but for the total degree of disablement due to service, assessed on a percentage basis. This overall assessment takes account of all conditions that are attributable to or aggravated by service. We cannot therefore separately identify amounts paid in respect of one particular condition. The information requested is not therefore available for war disablement pensions.
	The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme only applies to injuries or illnesses caused on or after 6 April 2005, and there have been no awards made for noise-induced hearing loss under the Scheme since it came into force.

Noise-induced Hearing Loss

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people are in receipt of a war disablement pension for noise-induced hearing loss.

Don Touhig: holding answer 10 November 2005
	A war pension is awarded based on the overall percentage disablement due to service of an individual, not on particular medical conditions.
	Our war pensions database indicates that there were approximately 80,000 people entitled to an on-going payment under the War Pensions Scheme at 30 June 2005 who had had a claim accepted for noise induced hearing loss.
	In about half of these cases, there were no claims for any other medical conditions recorded.

Royal Anglian Regiment

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is his intention to post the (a) 1st and (b) 2nd Battalion of the Royal Anglian Regiment for tours of duty in (i) Iraq and (ii) Afghanistan in the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 8 November 2005
	The latest roulement (Operation TELIC 7) of UK troops in Iraq was announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, to the House, on 10 October 2005, Official Report, column 26. As a result of this roulement, the 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment has recently returned from Iraq. The next routine roulement of UK forces in Iraq is expected to take place in May 2006, and an announcement will be made in due course. Announcements on future deployments to Afghanistan will be made once final decisions have been taken.

Royal Military Police Historic Investigation Team

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what legal assistance his Department will make available to those (a) serving and (b) former servicemen who face prosecution by the six Royal Military Police Historic Investigation Team; and what budget has been provided for this purpose.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence will provide whatever assistance is appropriate for serving and former servicemen who are required to assist the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) with their review of unresolved deaths in Northern Ireland. No separate budget has been provided for this purpose. The six RMP Historic Inquiries Team is not undertaking any investigative responsibilities in relation to this review.

Royal Navy (Caribbean)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will reconsider the decision to reduce the Royal Navy presence in the Caribbean station.

Adam Ingram: British military commitments and the tasking of military assets, including the Royal Navy presence in the Caribbean during the core hurricane months, are reviewed regularly. There are no plans to change these at present.

Royal Navy (Caribbean)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effect on the international drugs trade of having Royal Navy ships stationed in the Caribbean; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: None. The primary purposes of the RN deployment in the Caribbean (Atlantic Patrol Task (North)) are the promotion of UK interests in the region and the provision of security to UK Overseas Territories, including support to humanitarian operations and disaster relief. Counter-drugs activities are carried out as part of deployments to provide a tangible presence as one element of the UK's broader counter-drugs engagement in the region. These are co-ordinated by HM Revenue and Customs.

Royal Navy (Caribbean)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what amount of drugs the Royal Navy has been responsible for seizing in the Caribbean in each of the last five years; and what the estimated value was of such seizures in each year.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 November 2005, Official Report, column 558W, to the hon. Member for Kettering (Mr. Hollobone).

Royal Ordnance

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what goods have been supplied (a) to his Department and (b) to his Department's sub-contractors by BAE Systems plc from the former Royal Ordnance factory in Bridgwater, Somerset, in the last five years.

Adam Ingram: The Bridgwater site supplies a range of explosive compounds and products including fillings for warheads, propellants and demolition stores.
	A list of the individual items supplied over the last five years to the Ministry of Defence or MOD prime contractors by the BAE Systems Land Systems facility at Bridgwater is as follows. MOD deals with prime contractors only. Relations with any sub-contractors is a matter for the prime contractor.
	Items
	New products
	RF-01-NPM11
	Rowanex 1001 premix
	RF-03-NPM6
	Rowanex 1301 premix
	RF-23-NPM02
	Rowanex 6000 premix
	RP3
	Rowanex 6000, 2400 and Rowanex 2000 binder
	RF-25-NPM01
	Rowanex 1400 premix
	RF-03-NPM37
	Rowanex 1100 premix
	TATB
	K10 Rowanite 8001
	Rowanite 8002
	CXM-7
	Premix for PBXN109
	PBXN110
	Premix Class 2 Special
	PBXN110
	Premix Class 3 Special
	PBXN-109 filling
	Rowanex 1100 procure
	Rowanex 3601/PBX-N7
	Rowanite 533 BBG
	Rowanite 558 BBG
	BBP75:25 Nocat
	Rowanite 8101
	BOBBA 8
	Rowanex 4400(M)
	Rowanex 2400
	Warheads under PBXN-109
	Demolition products
	POPLIN
	ROMOR
	Giant Viper MLI
	Python
	PE4 bulk
	PE4 Cartridges
	PE6A1
	SX2/Demex 200 bulk
	SX2 Demex 200 sheets
	ECT 63 g/m (all lengths)
	Blade 100 g/m (all lengths)
	Blade 240 g/m(all lengths)
	Blade 450 g/m (all lengths)
	Blade 650 g/m (all lengths)
	Blade 1150 g/m (all lengths)
	'Old' Bangalore torpedo
	Brixal 75/25
	E-mite
	Paw-Paw
	Demex 400
	Additives
	Styphnic acid
	2:4 DNR
	Processed waste NG acid
	Lead Stannate
	LAP (Lead Aceto Pthalate)
	Basic Copper Salycilate

Royal Ordnance

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date and on whose authority did the project of joint subsidiary take place between the Societe National des Poudres et Explosifs and Royal Ordnance for the manufacture of military powders and explosives.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence is aware that discussions took place some years ago between Royal Ordnance (now BAE Systems Land Systems) and Societe National des Poudres et Explosifs with a view to a joint venture. No final agreement was reached between the two companies.

Royal Ordnance

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what military powders will be manufactured in the UK up to the end of 2007; and who the majority shareholders of the explosive manufacturers are.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence procures a large range of explosive products (including primer compositions and energetic materials) from a number of manufacturers, both in the United Kingdom and abroad. Details of each type of explosive substance provided are not held centrally and it would incur disproportionate costs to produce a comprehensive list. The identities of the majority shareholders of the various businesses are an issue for the companies themselves.

Royal Ordnance

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what does the BAE Systems plc factory at Chorley, Lancashire, produce; and from where will future production be sourced when that factory closes.

Adam Ingram: The main production output of BAE System's factory at Land Systems Chorley is initiators for various natures of munitions. Production at the site has been suspended since an industrial incident in March 2005. Current production remains limited to filling and assembling a small number of stores using stocks of previously manufactured compositions.
	Following is a list of those items which have, until recently, been manufactured at the Chorley site:
	Item
	TVE L4
	Cap Conducting. CC No. 1
	Cap and Holder (TV23 AF)
	L106 2.25grn RWY
	L106 2.1grn L
	L106 Delay.
	MDF items and End Fittings for warheads
	6.5grn LZY Detonator and Housing
	Igniter CC
	IEBW 222
	CLC Charge Line Cutting
	7.62mm SAA CapAir
	7.62mm SAA CapLand
	5.56mm SAA Cap
	IEBW 302, Detonator Nl6
	CERU 201/Cap EBW No l Mk2
	Primer 52
	Cartridge Cable Cutter
	IEBW 213
	Detonator EEBW Nl Mk2
	BAE Systems Land Systems are responsible for the security of supply of these items and will remain so after the closure of the Chorley site. They have provided detailed plans on how they intend to achieve this and we remain confident in their ability to do so. These plans are of a commercial nature and it would not be to the benefit of the company or the Ministry of Defence to release them.

Royal Ordnance

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guarantee of continuity of supply does his Department secure for ammunitions sourced outside the UK.

Adam Ingram: It is common practise for all contracts let to foreign based ammunition suppliers to include a clause whereby if supply could not be met, the manufacturing data is passed to the Ministry of Defence to allow manufacture elsewhere.

Staff Relocations

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people in his Department (a) were relocated in 200405 and (b) are expected to be relocated in 200506 as a result of the Lyons review of public sector relocation; to which places they have been relocated; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: holding answer 7 November 2005
	Between August 2004 and March 2005 1,230 posts were relocated when the Army Technical Foundation college, at Arborfield, closed and its function moved to the Army Foundation college at Harrogate. The closure was part of a fundamental restructuring of the way in which the Army conducts its junior training. The restructuring meant that the posts relocated to a number of establishments throughout the country.
	No relocations from the south east are likely to take place in 200506.

Terrorism

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the remit is of the Terrorist Investigation Unit (TIU); what contact there is between the TIU and 6 Royal Military Police Historic Investigation Team; and how many members of the TIU there are.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 11 November 2005
	The Tribunals and Inquiries Unit (TIU) manages the Ministry of Defence's contribution to public inquiries and other investigations, and arranges assistance to former and serving MOD employees who are involved in them. The TIU provides policy guidance to 6 Royal Military Police Historic Inquiries Team on their assistance to the Police Service of Northern Ireland's review of unresolved deaths during the troubles. Currently there are six members of the TIU, which is headed by a senior civil servant.

Type 23 Frigates

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2005, Official Report, column 919W, on Type 23 frigates, what repairs are taking place to the three vessels' platforms, systems and equipment in order to comply with maritime regulations; what the findings of the previous stability tests for the three ships were; and (a) when and (b) by whom the next stability tests will be undertaken.

Adam Ingram: The Type 23 frigates are currently certified in class by Lloyd's Register survey and comply with maritime regulations. Following the relevant Inclining Experiment (stability test) and subsequent stability calculations each ship was demonstrated to meet MOD Type 23 Stability Standard for the following 10 years. Certificates of SafetyStability were issued for each ship with the following expiry dates: HMS Norfolk valid until 6 August 2006, HMS Marlborough 6 August 2006 and HMS Grafton 7 November 2006.
	As part of their reactivation for sale to the Republic of Chile the prime contractor, BAE Systems, intend to contract Lloyd's Register to survey each ship (between January 2006 and July 2007) and recommend any repair work required to maintain certification to meet maritime regulations. The prime contractor will also conduct Inclining Experiments on HM Ships Norfolk (July 2006) and Grafton (December 2006) and stability calculations to confirm that all three ships continue to meet the Type 23 Stability Standard. HMS Marlborough being of the same stability batch as HMS Norfolk will not require to undergo an Inclining Experiment. Certification of class will be issued by Lloyd's Register to support the transfer to the Republic of Chile.

Yorkshire Regiment

John Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  where the three battalions of the new Yorkshire Regiment will be based when it is formed in June 2006;
	(2)  what specific roles and operational functions he intends to allocate to the three battalions of the new Yorkshire Regiment to the end of 2007;
	(3)  if he will make it his policy for recruitment to the new Yorkshire Regiment to be restricted to people living in the Yorkshire and Humber region.

Don Touhig: All battalion names are provisional and subject to Royal assent but, under current plans: the 1st Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment (Prince of Wales's Own) will be based in Catterick and will be a light-role battalion; the 2nd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howards) will be based near Chepstow until mid-2007 when they will relocate to Weeton, Lancashire. They will also be a light-role battalion, and the 3rd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment (Duke of Wellington's) will be based in Warminster and will be an armoured battalion.
	Current policy allows an infantry recruit, irrespective of where he resides, to join whichever regiment he wishes provided there are spaces within that regiment and he passes the associated selection criteria and training course. There are no plans to change this policy.

PRIME MINISTER

China

Peter Law: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he had with Chinese President Hu Jintao on (a) climate change and (b) energy technology support during his visit to London.

Tony Blair: President Hu and I agreed that climate change and energy were important global issues on which we could work together more closely in future. The UK-China Sustainable Development Dialogue, signed in the margins of the President's visit, and the EU-China Partnership on Climate Change signed in Beijing in September provide a solid platform for future co-operation. I am keen to engage with China on the potential for a workable framework on future action after Kyoto at next month's UN climate change conference.

Climate Change

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the speeches he has made regarding climate change since becoming Prime Minister.

Tony Blair: I regularly give speeches on a wide range of domestic and international issues, including environmental issues. Copies of my speeches are available on the Number 10 website.

Climate Change

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list policy commitments he has made relating to climate change since 1997.

Tony Blair: The UK Climate Change Programme, published in November 2000, sets out the Government's strategic approach to tackling climate change, including our policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to ensure we meet our target under the Kyoto Protocol and to move us towards our domestic goal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2010. Significant policies the Government have put in place to reduce emissions include the renewables obligation, the climate change levy and climate change agreements, and the voluntary greenhouse gas emissions trading schemethe first such economy-wide trading scheme in the world.
	The programme also explained how climate change will affect the UK and the action we are taking to prepare for this. We are reviewing the programme, looking at how existing policies are performing and the range of policies that we might put in place in future. In the Energy White Paper, published in February 2003, we said we would put the UK on a path towards a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of some 60 per cent. by about 2050.

Dedicated Government Vehicle

David Davies: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  on what date the Government first provided a dedicated government vehicle to members of the family of the serving Prime Minister; and for what reason;
	(2)  when the most recent assessment of (a) his and (b) his family's security was carried out.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend Lord Bassam on Monday 7 November 2005, Official Report, column WA62.
	It has been the practice of successive governments not to comment on security issues.

Departmental Contracts (Direct Mail)

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister how many contracts for direct mail were signed by his Department in (a) 200506 to date and (b) 200405; and what the value was in each case.

Tony Blair: For these purposes my office forms part of the Cabinet Office. I have therefore asked my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Cabinet Office to reply. A copy of the reply will be placed in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Lynne Jones: To ask the Prime Minister whether, prior to giving his statement to the House of 24 September 2002, he communicated to (a) the then British ambassador to the United States, Sir Christopher Meyer and (b) his then personal foreign policy adviser Sir David Manning that his policy in respect of Iraq was to achieve regime change.

Tony Blair: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Belfast, North (Mr. Dodds) on 1 November 2004, Official Report, column 112W.

Iraq

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the (a) benefits and (b) costs to the United Kingdom of its participation in the Iraq War and occupation.

Tony Blair: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Dr. Howells) gave to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 1 November 2005, Official Report, columns 94849W.

London Bombings

David Drew: To ask the Prime Minister who the attendees were at the meeting he held with representatives of the Muslim community following the London bombings of 7 July; if he will publish the notes of the meeting; and what action he plans to take as a result of that meeting.

Tony Blair: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, North-East (Mr. Hamilton) on 10 October 2005, Official Report, column 165W.
	I also refer my hon. Friend to the comments made by my right hon. Friend the Member for Salford (Hazel Blears), the Minister of State for the Home Office on 10 November 2005, which set out the follow-up action the Government have taken in partnership with representatives of the Muslim community. Copies are available on the Home Office website.

Ministerial Travel

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Prime Minister what the cost was of each Minister's unplanned return journey to London for the Terrorism Bill debate and votes on Wednesday 9 November.

Philip Hammond: To ask the Prime Minister what the total cost to public funds was of Ministers and accompanying officials (a) returning to Westminster for parliamentary votes on 9 November and (b) returning thereafter to resume official duties away from Westminster.

Tony Blair: Since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing 500 or more during each financial year. Copies of these lists are available in the Library of the House. Information on the number of officials accompanying Ministers on overseas visits is included in the list. All Ministers' travel arrangements are in accordance with the arrangements for official travel set out in Chapter 10 of the Ministerial Code, and the accompanying guidance document, Travel by Ministers.
	Information for the year 200506 will be published as soon as it is ready after the end of the financial year.

Ministers (Severance Payments)

John Hemming: To ask the Prime Minister how many severance payments a resigning Minister is entitled to within any 12 month period.

Tony Blair: Severance pay is payable in accordance with section 4 of the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991.

Typhoon Fighter Planes

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Prime Minister what the total cost was of his trip in July to discuss the sale of BAE Systems' Typhoon fighter planes to the Saudi Arabian defence forces; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: I visited Saudi Arabia in July 2005 to have talks with HRH Crown Prince Abdullah and other senior Ministers and officials. We discussed a wide range of issues including the Middle East Peace Process, Iraq, our bilateral relationship and the issues facing the G8 Summit at Gleneagles.
	Since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing 500 or more during each financial year. Copies of these lists are available in the Library of the House. Information on the number of officials accompanying Ministers on overseas visits is included in the list. All Ministers travel arrangements are in accordance with the arrangements for official travel set out in chapter 10 of the Ministerial Code, and the accompanying guidance document, Travel by Ministers. Information for the year 200506 will be published as soon as it is ready after the end of the financial year.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Adoption

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children were adopted from overseas in each of the last 10 years, broken down by country.

Maria Eagle: This information is not available centrally. The following table shows the number of applications to adopt, including a home study assessment, broken down by year and country, received since 1995 by the Department of Health and since June 2003 by the Department for Education and Skills.
	
		
			  1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Total 
		
		
			 Albania 1 1  2 
			 Algeria 1 1 1 3 
			 Armenia 1 1  1 2 1 1 7 
			 Azerbaijan 1   1 
			 Barbados 1   1 
			 Belarus   1 1  1   1 1  5 
			 Bolivia 11   2 
			 Bosnia-Herzegovina   1 1 
			 Brazil 7 4 4 3 1  2 1 1 1  24 
			 Brunei   1 1 
			 Bulgaria  2  4 1 3 3 6 4 1  24 
			 Burundi   1 1 
			 Cambodia2  1  6 40 18  67 
			 Canada  1   1   3 
			 Chile 1  4 42 1   12 
			 China 59 206 110 123 48 176 175 111 108 166 159 1,441 
			 Colombia 1 4 4 7  1 4 2  1 1 25 
			 Czech Republic   1 1 
			 Egypt  1  1 
			 El Salvador 1   1 
			 Estonia   3 3 
			 Ethiopia   1   1 3 5 
			 Gambia  1 1 2 
			 Georgia   1  1 1  3 
			 Ghana  11 2 4 
			 Greece   1  1   2 
			 Grenada 1   1 
			 Guatemala 12 16 26 20 4 24 13 28 29 15 18 205 
			 Guyana 1 1 2 4 
			 Haiti 1   1 
			 Hong Kong  1 1 2 
			 Hungary 1  1  1   3 
			 India 22 29 21 22 6 14 19 24 24 26 28 235 
			 Indonesia   1 1 
			 Iran  1   1 1 2 5 
			 Ireland 3   3 
			 Jamaica   1 1 
			 Japan1 1   2 
			 Jordan   1   1  2 
			 Kazahstan  2   1 3 6 12 
			 Kenya 1 3 2 6 
			 Kosova   1 1 
			 Latvia  1  1 
			 Lebanon   1  1   2 
			 Lithuania1  1  13 
			 Macedonia  1  1 
			 Madagascar22 
			 Madeira   1 1 
			 Malaysia1   2 3 
			 Mauritius   1  1   2   1 5 
			 Mexico 1   2  1 1 1 1   7 
			 Mongolia  2  2 
			 Morocco  3 1 3 1 1 1 10 
			 Nepal 1 1 1 21 2 4  12 
			 Nicaragua  1  1 
			 Nigeria 1 2 1 4 
			 Pakistan 3 1 3 2 2  4 2 7 3 5 32 
			 Paraguay 6 1 1 8 
			 Peru   1 1  1 1   1 2 7 
			 Philippines 1 5 4 4  3 7 4 5 6 2 41 
			 Poland 2 1 1 2   1 1 1  1 10 
			 Portugal   1 1 
			 Romania 9 10 5 17 8 23 5 3 1  1 82 
			 Russia 4 3 3 13 3 14 13 18 33 40 33 177 
			 St Vincent  1  1 
			 Samoa11 
			 Serbia   1 1 
			 Sierra Leone 1  1 2 
			 Singapore  1 1   1  3 
			 South Africa   1 3  1  5 
			 Sri Lanka 3 2 3   2 7 2 2 3 1 25 
			 Swaziland   1 1 
			 Taiwan112 
			 Thailand 5 10 10 13 6 45 29 21 8 11 13 171 
			 Tunisia  1  1 
			 Turkey 1  1 1 1  1 4 
			 Uganda  1  1 
			 Ukraine 1   2 1 2 1 29 
			 USA 8 4 5 8 1 15 22 19 17 13 16 128 
			 Venezuela 1   1 
			 Vietnam 1 1 3 2 2 11 11 15   1 47 
			 Yugoslavia  2  2 
			 Zambia 1   1 
			 Total 154 308 223 257 94 352 326 285 301 332 (5)313  
		
	
	(5) To date.

Adult Further Education

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much of the adult further education budget was allocated to (a) all level 3, (b) full level 3, (c) part level 3 and (d) first full level 3 qualifications in each year between 200001 and 200405.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 7 November 2005
	The following table shows how much of the adult further education (FE) budget was spent on level 3 qualifications between 2002/03 and 2004/05 1 .
	1 In 2000/01 and 2001/02 the data source for funding information was the Individualised Student Record. The Further Education Funding Council (FEFC)/Learning and Skills Council (LSC) used units as their currency for funding rather than cash. To obtain an accurate cash figure for 2000/01 and 2001/02 would take a disproportionate amount of time. For this reason figures for 2000/01 and 2001/02 have not been included.
	
		
			  2002/03 2003/04 2004/05 
		
		
			 All level 3 ( million) 396 410 418 
			 Of which
			 Full level 3 174 200 212 
			 AS level 24 24 26 
			 Notional level 3 198 186 181 
			 
			 Distribution (percentage)
			 Full level 3 43.9 48.7 50.6 
			 AS level 6.0 5.9 6.1 
			 Notional level 3 50.1 45.4 43.3 
		
	
	The DFES and Learning and Skills Council (LSC) jointly commissioned research into the prior qualifications of adult learners in further education (FE). This survey showed that 45 per cent. of adults on full level 3 courses were studying for their first full level 3.

Adult Further Education

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many learners have applied successfully for the adult learning grant.

Phil Hope: Since the Adult Learning Grant pilots commenced in September 2003, there have been 10,811 successful applications received from learners. In academic year 2005/06 there have been 3,027 successful applications so far.

Adult Further Education

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average level of individual contributions was to fees for adults in further education in (a) 200304, (b) 200405 and (c) 200506.

Bill Rammell: In 2003/04 and 2004/05 adult learners in Further Education (FE) were assumed to contribute 25 per cent. of the basic course cost of their learning unless fees were remitted because the learner was receiving an income based benefit or on a Skills for Life programme. This proportion increased to 27.5 per cent. in 2005/06, and will rise again in 2006/07 to 32.5 per cent. and to 37.5 per cent. in 2007/08. In average terms, this means a rise from an hourly rate of 1.42 this year to 1.94 by 2007/08.
	However, we know that historically many FE providers choose to waive the fees for some of these 'fee-paying' learners:
	In 2003/04, FE providers collected 152 million out of an 'expected' 261 million.
	In 2004/05, 159 million was collected out of an expected 277 million.
	The Skills Strategy White Paper set out a vision for transforming the way in which the Learning and Skills sector can support higher national investment in skills, which included ensuring that the state, employers and individuals all contribute towards the costs of their learning, in line with the benefits received by each.
	In order to increase the levels of fees collected, from 2005/06 the LSC agreed a fee income measure with each FE funded provider. To assist providers in developing a strategic approach to, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) published a good practice guide to fee income earlier this year.
	Clearly, with the increase in the fee assumption, it will be important that FE providers recover as much money as possible from learners as employers..

A-level Grades

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many A and A* grades at GCSE were achieved in schools serving the 2,000 least deprived wards in the country in each year from 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The following table gives the numbers of A* and A grades in GCSEs 1 achieved by students in schools in the 25 per cent. least deprived Super Output Areas 2 .
	1 These figures relate to full course GCSEs only.
	2 Deprivation classified within the English Indices of Deprivation.
	
		
			  A* A 
		
		
			 2005(6) 117,476 226,141 
			 2004 110,753 220,822 
			 2003 98,610 214,377 
			 2002 95,611 204,293 
			 2001 92,644 199,045 
			 2000 83,833 192,152 
			 1999 78,856 182,950 
			 1998 71,280 175,456 
			 1997 48,206 131,761 
		
	
	(6) 2005 figures are provisional; figures for previous years are final.

Anti-bullying Initiatives

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many initiatives the Government have announced to combat bullying in schools since 1997;
	(2)  how much the Department has spent on anti-bullying measures and campaigns in each year since 1997;
	(3)  how the Department assesses the effectiveness of anti-bullying initiatives.

Jacqui Smith: The Department is deeply concerned about the distress bullying causes and the effect it has on lives and we are determined to help schools reduce and respond to bullying.
	Since 1997 our work has included conferences and events to disseminate good practice, alongside the development of guidance and resources for schools. The anti-bullying Charter for Action has fostered a wide consensus among schools, the voluntary sector, and professional associations. We have supported an award scheme to share and celebrate the excellent work of schools and children and young people in this area. We have given funding to the voluntary sector to embed effective practice and offer training and support to schools, children and young people and their parents. We have run a number of public information campaigns encouraging children to 'tell someone' and to support their friends. Anti-bullying work is embedded in the Primary and Secondary National Strategies Behaviour and Attendance strand, including through the Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) materials. Details of specific initiatives follow.
	2000 and 2002 updated anti-bullying guidance folder for schools, 'Don't suffer in silence'
	September 2003 public information film 'Tell Someone' launched, to encourage children who are being bullied to tell someone, and not suffer in silence.
	November 2003 anti-bullying Charter for Action for schools launched
	200304 'Make The Difference' campaign conferences held in each Government office region, targeted at head teachers and Chief Education Officers. Postcards and posters in English and a range of other languages created to encourage children and young people to tell someone if they are being bullied, and to support parents and schools in helping bullied children
	July 2004 Anti-Bullying Alliance work, funded by DfES, to sustain momentum of 'Make The Difference', launched. Funding announced for dedicated anti-bullying Diana Award
	November 2004, during the first national Anti-Bullying Week, blue anti-bullying bands campaignMake A Stand, Wear The Bandlaunched by the Department, Radio One and the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA), all working in partnership. This has been a significant success, with 1 million children and young people making a stand and wearing a band.
	November 2004 second public information film, 'I Am', produced to coincide with the campaign. In this celebrities read lines from a poem written by a child who had been bullied to show young people that they are not alone if they are being bullied and can get help.
	March 2005 conference on countering racist bullying
	The figures for the anti-bullying strand of the Improving Behaviour and Attendance strategy are given as follows:
	
		
			   
		
		
			 2005/06 1,145,000 
			 2004/05 1,612,560 
			 2003/04 1,054,027 
			 2002/03 183,749 
		
	
	Figures for earlier years are not available because the anti-bullying strand of behaviour work was not disaggregated.
	We assess the success and effectiveness of our anti-bullying work as follows.
	Qualitative evidence of success and effectiveness.
	The Department's 200304 Make the Difference conference series was heavily over subscribed.
	Delegates told us that they left feeling inspired and motivated to promote continuing changes and improvement in their schools.
	The overall evaluations for the London conference were 100 per cent. positive, and for the series overall 97 per cent. positive.
	The web statistics of a workshop used at the Wembley conference reflect the enthusiasm and interest generated by this conference. The number of hits on their site increased to over 20,000 the week following the conference, compared with 48 hits in their own launch week.
	Last year's Beat Bullying campaign received support from a large number of famous personalities. Originally 100,000 blue bands were earmarked for the three-month-long campaign but within just 36 hours of the launch all had been allocated. By the end of December 2004 Radio One received the order for the millionth band.
	The anti-bullying Charter for Action that was launched in November 2003 has been signed and returned to the ABA by about 4,000 schools. We believe that other schools have adopted the charter, but have not returned it to the ABA, and that more still have used it as the basis for developing their school anti bullying policies.
	The two anti-bullying public information films ('Tell Someone', 2003, and 'I am', 2004) are the two most watched public information films created by the Department. It seems reasonable to assume that such a volume of interest has led to increased awareness, both of the need for children and young people to tell someone if they are being bullied, and of the fact that the person being bullied is not to blame.
	We have no statistical evidence, for example of a decline in incidents, available to show the impact and effectiveness of our strategy. This is because nationwide statistics on bullying are not available and we think it would be very unwise to make an estimate (although racist incidents in schools do have to be reported).
	Bullying cases appear to be reported more often now than previously but we have no hard evidence that bullying is increasing or that it is affecting more children. Indeed it could be seen as a measure of effectiveness that as more children feel confident enough to report bullying it is likely that the number of recorded cases will rise.

Apprenticeships

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many 14 to 16-year-olds have (a) started and (b) completed young apprenticeships since their introduction in May 2004; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: A total of 3,000 pupils have started the two-year Young Apprenticeship programme since it began in September 2004. The first cohort of 1,000 pupils will complete the programme in July 2006.

Basic Skills

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps the Government are taking to reach its target of reducing by at least 40 per cent. the number of adults in the workforce who lack basic skills.

Bill Rammell: The target for tackling basic skills in England is to 'Improve the basic skills levels of 1.5 million adults by 2007 and 2.25 by 2010' (since the launch of the Skills for Life Strategy in 2001). The 40 per cent. target refers to the Government's ambitions for 'Level 2': to reduce by at least 40 per cent. the number of adults in the workforce who lack NVQ2 or equivalent qualifications.
	In 2001 the Government published the Skills for Life Strategy to tackle basic skills needs across England. Basic skills are a long term priority for this Government and basic literacy and numeracy learning is free to learners with skills below Level 2. Since 2001, we have put in place national standards and core curricula. We are continuing to focus on driving up quality of provision and are professionalising the workforce and extending the reach of the strategy. Since the strategy was launched in 2001, we have helped 1,130,000 adults achieve first qualifications in literacy, language or numeracy. In total, 3.7 million adults have taken up 7.8 million learning opportunities. Tackling basic skills underpins our Skills Strategy, 1419 reforms, primary and secondary strategies, and our agenda set out in Every Child Matters.

Child Care

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what (a) recent representations she has received and (b) meetings she has had about allowing a salary sacrifice child care voucher scheme for teachers; when she expects salary sacrifice to be permitted; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: A number of representations about salary sacrifice have been received in the Department. My right hon. Friend has had no meetings specifically about salary sacrifice. She is currently giving careful consideration to the issue.

Children (Parental Access)

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent estimate she has made of the number of children who have suffered non-accidental injuries during unsupervised access with their absent parent.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 9 November 2005
	We do not hold data on the number of children who are harmed during unsupervised contact with their non-resident parent, whether court ordered or otherwise. However, we take the issues of child protection and domestic violence extremely seriously and have taken a number of steps to ensure the safety of children involved in contact disputes.
	On 31 January this year, we introduced new 'Gateway forms' designed to ensure that any issues of domestic violence can more readily be raised at the very start of Children Act 1989 private law court proceedings. We have also commenced section 120 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002, which clarified the definition of 'harm' in the Children Act 1989, which now makes explicit that it includes any impairment suffered as a result of seeing or hearing the ill treatment of another. In addition, section 1 of the Children Act 1989, which applies whenever the court is considering an application for a contact order, requires the court to have the welfare of the child as its paramount consideration. This is reinforced by the welfare checklist at section 1(3) of that Act, which requires the court to have regard to any harm the child has suffered, or is at risk of suffering.

Citizenship

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the post-16 citizenship pilot 200405.

Phil Hope: I am pleased to acknowledge the continuing success of this programme in encouraging active participation by young peopleboth in their learning and in their local and wider communities. This success was recognised most recently in the joint report by Ofsted and the Adult Learning Inspectorate. We are currently considering the recommendations in that report.

Class Sizes

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the pupil-teacher ratio in (a) Suffolk, (b) Cambridgeshire, (c) Essex and (d) Norfolk has been in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The following table provides the pupil teacher ratios for primary and secondary schools in the requested local authorities for each year since 1997.
	
		Maintained primary and secondary schools(7): pupil:teacher ratios: 19972005 position in January each yearSuffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex and Norfolk local authorities
		
			  Maintained Primary 
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 Suffolk 22.3 22.2 22.0 22.1 22.0 21.5 21.7 21.7 21.5 
			   
			 Cambridgeshire(8) 24.4 24.9 (10) (10) (10) (10) (10) (10) (10) 
			 Cambridgeshire(9) (10) (10) 25.0 24.6 24.1 23.3 23.7 23.6 23.6 
			 City of Peterborough (10) (10) 24.2 23.2 23.0 22.9 23.1 23.2 22.5 
			   
			 Essex(8) 23 23.5 (10) (10) (10) (10) (10) (10) (10) 
			 Essex(9) (10) (10) 23.5 23.2 22.9 22.8 23.0 23.2 22.9 
			 Southend (10) (10) 24.0 23.4 23.5 23.0 23.3 22.8 23.0 
			   
			 Thurrock (10) (10) 23.9 22.8 22.8 21.8 23.6 24.9 25.0 
			   
			 Norfolk 22.3 22.5 22.7 22.7 22.1 23.0 21.7 22.3 22.1 
		
	
	
		
			  Maintained Secondary 
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 Suffolk 16.6 16.5 16.6 16.9 17.1 16.9 16.9 17.2 17.0 
			   
			 Cambridgeshire(8) 17.4 17.5 (10) (10) (10) (10) (10) (10) (10) 
			 Cambridgeshire(9) (10) (10) 18.1 18.7 18.7 18.1 18.7 18.7 18.3 
			 City of Peterborough (10) (10) 16.7 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.0 16.9 
			   
			 Essex(8) 16.6 16.7 (10) (10) (10) (10) (10) (10) (10) 
			 Essex(9) (10) (10) 16.8 17.2 17.5 17.5 17.6 18.0 17.4 
			 Southend (10) (10) 16.4 16.9 16.8 17.2 17.3 17.7 17.9 
			 Thurrock (10) (10) 18.0 18.5 18.9 19.8 19.8 20.8 19.9 
			   
			 Norfolk 15.7 16.1 16.2 16.6 16.9 17.5 17.1 17.3 17.6 
		
	
	(7) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(8) Before local government reorganisation.
	(9) After local government reorganisation.
	(10) Not applicable.
	Source:
	Annual School Census

Classics

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of specialist humanities colleges have chosen classics as a subsidiary specialist subject.

Bill Rammell: Humanities specialism was first introduced in 2004. There are 83 operational Humanities Colleges of which: 60 have humanities as a main specialism, 11 chose humanities as part of a combined specialism, and 12 schools chose humanities as a second specialism. Two out of the 83 operational Humanities Colleges have chosen classics as a subsidiary specialist subject. This represents 3 per cent. of schools with humanities as a main specialism or 2 per cent. of all operational Humanities Colleges.

Counselling Services

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent on counselling services in (a) Ribble Valley and (b) Lancashire schools in each of the last five years.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Departmental Skills Development Plan

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will place in the Library a copy of her Department's skills development plan.

Maria Eagle: I have placed the skills development plan for 200506 in the House Libraries.

Education

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the most recent truancy levels are for (a) secondary and (b) primary schools in Milton Keynes.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested on unauthorised absence 1 in Milton Keynes local authority 2004/05 can be found in table 2 of SFR 40/2005, Pupil Absence in Schools in England 2004/05 (Provisional). This can be found at the following website: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsqateway/DB/SFR/s000602/index. shtml
	1 Unauthorised absence includes other forms of absence such as lateness, holidays during term-time not authorised by the school, absence where reason is not yet established and truancy.

Education

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding has been allocated to homework clubs in schools in Tamworth constituency in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not available. Homework clubs may form part of a school's or local authority's study support (out of school hours learning) programme, for which funding is available through their base budgets, and the School Development Grant (SDG). Schools and local authorities may use their SDG for any purposes linked to school improvement, and it is for them to determine the amount to be allocated to study support.
	Study support forms an integral part of the government's extended services agenda, which will require schools to offer a varied menu of activities from 8am to 6pm year round, including during school holidays. Additional funding of 680 million is being made available up to 2008 to support the start up of extended services in schools.

Education

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children in West Lancashire have been removed from the Admissions Register because of (a) extended family holidays and (b) long-term absence in each year since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the early question from the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 24 October 2005, Official Report, column 150W.

Education

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many school children in West Lancashire whose families are in receipt of child tax credit are eligible for free school meals.

Jacqui Smith: The information is not collected centrally.
	Free school lunch eligibility is limited to children whose parents receive:
	Income support (IS);
	Income based jobseekers allowance (IBJSA);
	Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999;
	Child Tax Credit, provided they are not entitled to working tax credit and have an annual income, as assessed by the Inland Revenue that does not exceed 13,910 2005/06 FY);
	Guaranteed element of state pension credit.
	Children receiving IS or IBJSA in their own right are also entitled to a free school lunch.
	Prior to 2003, the numbers known to be eligible for a free school meal were those pupils who had, or whose parents had, satisfied the relevant authority that they were receiving income support (IS) or income based jobseekers allowance (IBJSA) or support provided under Part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. From 6 April 2003 onwards this definition was modified:
	to include the necessity for a request for the provision of a free lunch to be made by, or on behalf of a pupil; and to take account of changes made in 2003 to the tax credit and welfare payments' system, adding an additional eligibility category relating to the receipt of specified tax credits.
	From April 2005 an additional eligibility category was addedparents who receive the guaranteed element of state pension credit.

Education

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils in West Lancashire have re-taken A-level modules (a) once and (b) more than once in each of the last five years, broken down by subject.

Jacqui Smith: The Department does not hold information on the number of students re-taking modules at A Level.

Education

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of children in the West Lancashire area left school at the minimum age in each of the last five years, broken down by ward.

Jacqui Smith: The earliest that a young person can leave school is on the last Friday in June after they turn 16. There is no information available on how many pupils leave from this point in the academic year. The most readily available figures are for young people in post-compulsory education at the end of the calendar year.
	The percentages of 16-year-olds not in post-compulsory education or work-based learning (WBLe.g. apprenticeships) in Lancashire local authority (LA) are given in the table. Figures are provided for 1999/2000 to 2003/04 (the latest available). Participation estimates are not available below LA level.
	
		Participation by 16-year-olds in Lancashire LA -- Percentage
		
			 As at end of the calendar year: 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003(11) 
		
		
			 Full-time Education 66 66 65 66 66 
			 Work-based Learning (WBL) 12 11 11 10 10 
			 Part-time Education 5 5 5 4 4 
			 Total in Education and WBL(12) 82 82 80 80 80 
			   
			 Not in Full-time Education 34 34 35 34 34 
			 Not in Education or WBL 18 18 20 20 20 
		
	
	(11) Provisional.
	(12) Total of all full-time and part-time education and WBL, less WBL provision in education institutions.
	Source:
	The latest Statistical First Release Participation in education and training by 16 and 17-year-olds in each local area in England.

Education

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many hon. Members have written to (a) her, (b) the Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education and (c) the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Skills since February about (i) adult education and (ii) funding for 16 to 19-year-olds in schools and colleges.

Bill Rammell: Since February (a) the Secretary of State for Education and Skills has received 178 letters from hon. Members on adult education and 108 on funding for 16 to 19-year-olds in schools and colleges, (b) the Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education has received 188 on adult education and 40 on funding for 16 to 19-year-olds in schools and colleges, and (c) the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Skills has received 149 on adult education and 49 on funding for 16 to 19-year-olds in schools and colleges.

Education

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the funding of the new National Employer Training programme to be introduced from 200607.

Bill Rammell: The National Employer Training programme (NETP) will be funded through the Learning and Skills Council and will be rolled out across the country from 200607. The programme will be a powerful, demand-led mechanism for changing the way in which training for adults is delivered. Employers will have greater choice of high quality provision, and colleges and providers will need to deliver high quality training programmes at a time, place and pace determined by the employer. A sum of 230 million has been made available for the programme for 200607 and 399 million for 200708.
	By 2010 the programme should have delivered over half a million first full level 2 qualifications representing a significant contribution to the PSA target to reduce by 40 per cent. the number of adults without a qualification at that level.

Education

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many schools are part of education improvement partnerships.

Jacqui Smith: We believe that education improvement partnerships are best run at local level by schools for schools based on local needs. Education improvement partnerships are not a centrally run programme and this Department does not operate a process of official approval, nor maintain records of participating schools.

Education

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what improvements to the data collection system have been made as part of the New Relationship with Schools.

Jacqui Smith: There have been a number of improvements based on the principle of collecting data once and sharing many times, primarily to help reduce burdens. The introduction of the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) in 2002 has enabled individual pupil data to be collected electronically from schools and simplified the pupil registration process for national curriculum tests. The quality of data for both local and central use has also improved.
	My Department is continuing a programme to streamline data collections and include them wherever possible within an enhanced school census. By 2007, six separate surveys will have been brought within the school census.
	My Department has also developed a process by which data can be transferred automatically and securely between schools, local authorities and other agencies. The site is used to transfer statutory returns, national curriculum teacher assessments, and relevant data when a pupil moves to a new school. For the latter the New Relationship with Schools programme has facilitated every school being able to access missing information about their pupils to aid their learning plans.

Education

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the effect of the issue by her Department of a non-statutory national framework for teaching religious education.

Jacqui Smith: The non-statutory national framework for religious education was introduced in October 2004. Local authorities are now working to embed the framework in their locally agreed syllabuses. We expect preliminary data on its implementation to be available by spring 2006.

Education

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students who failed to obtain a Level 2 qualification at their first attempt studied (a) five, (b) six, (c) seven, (d) eight, (e) nine, (f) 10, (g) 11, (h) 12, (i) 13, (j) 14, (k) 15 and (l) 16 or more GCSE subjects or equivalent qualifications in the last year for which figures are available.

Jacqui Smith: This information is not centrally available.

Foreign Language Teaching

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what steps her Department is taking to promote best practice in the teaching of foreign languages;
	(2)  what research has been conducted by her Department into best practice in foreign language teaching.

Jacqui Smith: The most recent research on foreign language teaching has focused on practice in primary schoolsthis includes research led by Christ Church University College Canterbury, published in 2004, and research led by the University of Warwick and published last month on the evaluation of our Key Stage 2 Language Pathfinder programmes. The outcomes of this research have informed the development of new materials, and most importantly the Key Stage 2 Framework for Languages which was launched on 27 October. The Framework includes learning objectives, advice on delivering language programmes, and from early 2006 it will be accompanied by a website hosting good practice video clips and planning tools.
	At secondary level, a separate modern foreign languages programme forms part of the Secondary National Strategy. It includes a Framework of objectives, accompanied by guidance materials, based on good practice and aimed at strengthening provision. We are also currently tendering for a research project at Key Stage 3, which will look at provision and practice in language learning, in order to understand better the impact of the Key Stage 3 Framework and other current initiatives on the curriculum, and to guide future policy.

Free School Meals

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many pupils in (a) city academies, (b) city technology colleges, (c) foundation schools and (d) all other types of school in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by local authority, were entitled to free school meals;
	(2)  what proportion of students in (a) city academies and (b) other schools were entitled to free school meals in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by local authority area.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 7 November
	The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries.

Free School Meals

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many children in (a) England and (b) Tamworth are eligible for free school meals; and what the take-up rate has been in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many children in (a) England, (b) Staffordshire and (c) Tamworth receive free school meals.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is shown in the tables.
	
		Maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools(13): school meal arrangements(14), position in January each year: 2001 to 2005Tamworth parliamentary constituency
		
			   Maintained nursery and primary 
			  Number on roll Pupils taking free school meals(15) Percentage taking free school meals(15) Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals 
		
		
			 2001 8,860 1,173 13.2 1,390 15.7 
			 2002 8,752 1,116 12.8 1,333 15.2 
			 2003 8,470 914 10.8 1,132 13.4 
			 2004 8,254 888 10.8 1,086 13.2 
			 2005 8,171 868 10.6 1,041 12.7 
		
	
	
		
			   Maintained secondary 
			  Number on roll Pupils taking free school meals(15) Percentage taking free school meals(15) Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals 
		
		
			 2001 6,079 491 8.1 753 12.4 
			 2002 6,086 481 7.9 720 11.8 
			 2003 6,243 547 8.8 671 10.7 
			 2004 6,191 467 7.5 636 10.3 
			 2005 6,056 396 6.5 587 9.7 
		
	
	(13) Includes middle schools as deemed
	(14) Prior to 2003 'Number on roll' includes all full and part time pupils who are solely registered, excluding boarding pupils. Due to underlying changes in data collection, this coverage was extended to also include all pupils with dual (main) registration and boarding pupils from 2003.
	(15) Based upon school level numbers of pupils who had a free school meal on 20 January 2005.
	Source:
	Annual schools' census
	
		Maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools(16): school meal arrangements(17), position in January each year: 2001 to 2005Staffordshire local authority
		
			   Maintained nursery and primary 
			  Number on roll Pupils taking free school meals(18) Percentage taking free school meals(18) Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals 
		
		
			 2001 70,610 7,038 10.0 8,509 12.1 
			 2002 69,530 6,756 9.7 8,146 11.7 
			 2003 68,166 6,291 9.2 7,560 11.1 
			 2004 66,862 6,068 9.1 7,333 11.0 
			 2005 65,976 5,694 8.6 7,007 10.6 
		
	
	
		
			   Maintained secondary 
			  Number on roll Pupils taking free school meals(18) Percentage taking free school meals(18) Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals 
		
		
			 2001 60,934 3,841 6.3 5,625 9.2 
			 2002 61,272 3,851 6.3 5,622 9.2 
			 2003 62,290 3,789 6.1 5,418 8.7 
			 2004 62,381 3,744 6.0 5,310 8.5 
			 2005 61,382 3,644 5.9 4,993 8.1 
		
	
	(16) Includes middle schools as deemed
	(17) Prior to 2003 'Number on roll' includes all full and part time pupils who are solely registered, excluding boarding pupils. Due to underlying changes in data collection, this coverage was extended to also include all pupils with dual (main) registration and boarding pupils from 2003.
	(18) Based upon school level numbers of pupils who had a free school meal on 20 January 2005.
	Source:
	Annual schools' census
	
		Maintained nursery, primary and secondary schools(19): school meal arrangements(20), position in January each year: 2001 to 2005England
		
			   Maintained nursery and primary 
			  Number on roll Pupils taking free school meals(21) Percentage taking free school meals(21) Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals 
		
		
			 2001 4,451,220 631,640 14.2 783,510 17.6 
			 2002 4,405,640 616,630 14.0 754,510 17.1 
			 2003 4,350,260 604,910 13.9 731,610 16.8 
			 2004 4,293,180 608,760 14.2 741,150 17.3 
			 2005 4,243,110 568,350 13.4 717,230 16.9 
		
	
	
		
			   Maintained secondary 
			  Number on roll Pupils taking free school meals(21) Percentage taking free school meals(21) Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals Percentage known to be eligible for free school meals 
		
		
			 2001 3,226,970 353,470 11.0 509,680 15.8 
			 2002 3,260,930 354,260 10.9 486,350 14.9 
			 2003 3,308,490 349,780 10.6 478,920 14.5 
			 2004 3,326,800 351,380 10.6 477,290 14.3 
			 2005 3,317,590 335,140 10.1 465,520 14.0 
		
	
	(19) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(20) Prior to 2003 'Number on roll1 includes all full and part time pupils who are solely registered, excluding boarding pupils. Due to underlying changes in data collection, this coverage was extended to also include all pupils with dual (main) registration and boarding pupils from 2003
	(21) Based upon school level numbers of pupils who had a free school meal on 20 January 2005.
	Note:
	Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	Annual schools' census

GCSEs

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of (a) boys, (b) girls and (c) all children aged 15 years at the end of the 2004/05 academic year achieved five A*-C grades at GCSE including mathematics and English, broken down by type of school.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 25 October 2005
	The information requested can be found in the following table. This is compiled from the provisional data used for Statistical First Release 46/2005 (published on 20 October) and is currently in the process of being checked by schools.
	This year a higher volume of GNVQ results were missing from the data initially supplied to the Department. This may affect the GCSE and equivalent indicatorsfor this reason the provisional nature of these figures should be emphasised and any conclusions drawn from the figures, including comparisons between school types, should be treated with caution.
	
		GCSE and equivalent attempts and achievements of 15-year-old pupils(22) by school type
		
			  1998/99(23) 2004/05(23) 
			   Percentage who achieved at GCSE/ GNVQ  Percentage who achieved at GCSE and equivalent 
			 School type(24) Number of 15-year-old pupils(22) 5+ A*-C grades 5+ A*-C grades inc. English and mathematics Number of 15-year-old pupils(22) 5+ A*-C grades 5+ A*-C grades inc. English and mathematics 
		
		
			 Community Schools
			 Boys 174,574 36.9 28.6 186,377 45.6 34.3 
			 Girls 173,459 48.2 36.7 185,952 56.3 43.1 
			 Total 348,033 42.5 32.6 372,329 51.0 38.7 
			
			 Voluntary Aided Schools
			 Boys 37,589 50.2 42.1 41,384 59.3 48.1 
			 Girls 36,755 58.4 46.8 41,021 67.4 54.0 
			 Total 74,344 54.3 44.4 82,405 63.3 51.1 
			
			 Voluntary Controlled Schools
			 Boys 9,597 51.4 43.5 10,648 57.8 48.8 
			 Girls 9,248 60.7 49.5 9,707 67.3 56.2 
			 Total 18,845 56.0 46.5 20,355 62.3 52.3 
			
			 Foundation Schools
			 Boys 42,100 48.8 40.2 49,263 57.4 46.5 
			 Girls 38,329 59.5 47.7 46,483 65.3 53.2 
			 Total 80,429 53.9 43.8 95,746 61.2 49.7 
			
			 City Technology Colleges
			 Boys 1,162 65.1 50.4 1,234 82.7 65.0 
			 Girls 1,232 69.0 52.7 1,255 86.0 66.5 
			 Total 2,394 67.1 51.6 2,489 84.3 65.7 
			
			 Academies   
			 Boys1,071 32.9 14.1 
			 Girls1,030 37.8 16.7 
			 Total2,101 35.3 15.4 
			
			 Community Special Schools
			 Boys 6,503 0.2 0.1 6,500 0.4 0.2 
			 Girls 3,011 0.2 0.2 3,014 0.6 0.3 
			 Total 9,514 0.2 0.1 9,514 0.5 0.3 
			
			 Foundation Special Schools
			 Boys 113 0.0 0.0 133 0.0 0.0 
			 Girls 58 0.0 0.0 60 0.0 0.0 
			 Total 171 0.0 0.0 193 0.0 0.0 
			
			 Non Maintained Special Schools
			 Boys 419 5.3 3.8 436 5.7 3.2 
			 Girls 178 10.1 9.6 175 10.9 6.9 
			 Total 597 6.7 5.5 611 7.2 4.3 
			
			 Independent Special Schools4
			 Boys 561 3.0 1.8 526 10.6 7.4 
			 Girls 99 2.0 2.0 96 4.2 3.1 
			 Total 660 2.9 1.8 622 9.6 6.8 
			
			 Independent Schools
			 Boys 21,514 81.1 76.5 23,000 82.9 72.0 
			 Girls 20,054 85.5 80.5 22,696 86.3 79.0 
			 Total 41,568 83.2 78.5 45,696 84.6 75.5 
			
			 Hospital Schools and PRUs5
			 Boys 2,975 0.6 0.4 3,665 0.6 0.4 
			 Girls 1,442 1.4 1.2 1,468 2.2 1.4 
			 Total 4,417 0.9 0.7 5,133 1.1 0.7 
			
			 All Schools   
			 Boys 297,107 42.8 35.0 324,237 50.8 40.0 
			 Girls 283,865 53.4 42.5 312,957 60.8 48.4 
			 Total 580,972 47.9 38.6 637,194 55.7 44.1 
		
	
	(22) Number of pupils on roll aged 15 at the start of the academic year, ie 31 August.
	(23) Including attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years.
	(24) Institution type as recorded through Secondary School Achievement and Attainment tables.
	(25) Independent Special School approved to take pupils with special educational needs.
	(26) Including community and foundation hospital schools and pupil referral units.
	Figures for 1998/99 have been provided for comparison (1998/99 is the earliest that this classification of school types can be provided).

GCSEs

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what further progress has been made on the functional skills aspect of GCSEs.

Jacqui Smith: Achieving functional skills in English, maths and ICT underpins all the reforms for the education of 14 to 19-year-olds. We have been working since the publication of the White Paper with our partners towards a clear definition of what we expect the new functional skills units to cover. We will set out this definition in our forthcoming Implementation Plan.
	The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority have prepared a draft set of standards that set out their recommendations for the content of each skill at each level and they will be consulting on these draft standards in December 2005. The agreed definition and standards for functional skills will then inform the development of new units in functional skills.

GCSEs

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions she has had with schools about the introduction of the new science GCSE in September 2006.

Jacqui Smith: The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and the National Foundation for Educational Research carried out widespread consultation on proposals to introduce a revised programme of study at Key Stage 4. The science and science education communities and a sample of schools, colleges and universities were included in the consultation. The majority of respondents supported the changes.
	The QCA has also recently issued guidance to schools on the Key Stage 4 and GCSE changes and has run, together with other delivery partners, various dissemination conferences. Reactions to the changes have been very positive.

Geography Development Fund

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the allocation to the Geography Development Fund in improving continuing professional development for non-specialist primary teachers.

Jacqui Smith: The Geography Development Fund was established in 2004, to improve the teaching, learning and status of geography in schools. We judge the allocation to be sufficient to lay the foundations for subject development. The Fund is targeting strategic priorities identified by the subject community. In 2004/05 a significant part of the Fund was devoted to supporting primary teachers. The 'Geography from Square One' project provides accessible teaching ideas, particularly for non-specialists and the pilot 'Primary Geography Quality Mark' helps schools deliver quality geography and be recognised for doing so. These developments have been well received by teachers and will be built on through further work supported by the Geography Development Fund in 2005/06.

Gifted and Talented Youth

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2005, Official Report, column 118W, on gifted and talented youth, how many members of the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth there are in the Bognor Regis and Littlehampton constituency, broken down by school.

Jacqui Smith: 67 members of the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth are resident in the Bognor Regis and Littlehampton constituency. These pupils attend The Angmering School in Littlehampton in the neighbouring constituency of Arundel and South Downs.

Holland Park Secondary School

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the plans to sell off Holland Park Secondary School; and whether the governors of Holland Park Secondary School had apprised her Department of their proposal to sell off the school.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 10 November 2005
	In January 2004, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea applied, with the knowledge and consent of the Governors of Holland Park Secondary School, to dispose of part of the school site. The land to be sold consists of a hard play court, a gymnasium and a small swimming pool. Only the sale of the hard play court needs the Secretary of State's consent.
	The proceeds of sale of this land will be used towards the costs of redeveloping the school on its northern site. The outcome will be a brand new state-of-the art school with some first class sports facilities. Consent was given on 25 March 2004.

Learning and Skills Council

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will ask the regional offices of the Learning and Skills Council to base the allocation of public funding to each qualification level available to adults on an assessment of the skills needs of their respective regions.

Bill Rammell: The Department allocates funds for education and training in the post-16 learning and skills sector to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) to meet agreed national priorities and targets. We do not agree specific regional budgets with the LSC for adult learning. It is for the LSC to determine for itself the most appropriate balance of investment in adult learning provision, within the funds allocated to it and within the overall framework set by Government. The LSC works closely with Regional Skills Partnerships, whose role is to bring together key partners including the regional development agencies, the Skills for Business Network, Jobcentre Plus, local authorities, and the LSC, to ensure that emerging skills needs are identified and addressed.
	As part of its agenda for change work the LSC is considering how it might simplify its processes for allocating regional budgets.

Learning and Skills Council

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 18 October 2005, Official Report, column 962W, to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban), on the Learning and Skills Council, how many learners will be funded in (a) 200506, (b) 200708 and (c) 200809.

Bill Rammell: We are broadly maintaining the overall public funding that the LSC will be able to allocate to support adult learning on average through to 200708. But the pattern of that learning will change. To meet our national priorities, we need to shift the pattern so that we provide a greater number of longer and more expensive courses for adults, to equip them with the range of skills they need for employability and further progression to higher levels of training.
	As a consequence, the number of publicly funded places on shorter courses which do not lead to national qualifications is likely to fall by around 500,000. But set against this, there will be some 400,000 places available through the National Employer Training Programme and over 260,000 places for adults taking full Level 2 programmes in mainstream further educationwhich is a total increase of 274,000 full Level 2 places compared with 200506. So while maintaining the overall volume of adult training, we estimate there will be a net reduction in publicly-funded places of around 230,000 (about 6 per cent.). That will result in a total of some 3.5 million places available for adults by 200708. We expect that this reduction can be offset by colleges and other providers offering a wider range of programmes at full cost. In addition, public funding will support an expected additional 46,000 16 to 19-year-olds in learning in FE colleges and schools by 2007/08 compared with 2005/06, and maintain the numbers on apprenticeships while increasing the numbers successfully completing the full apprenticeship framework.

Offender Learning Schemes

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2005, Official Report, column 124W, on offender learning schemes, when new offender learning and skills delivery arrangements will be extended to the rest of England.

Phil Hope: The new offender learning and skills delivery arrangements will be extended to the rest of England on 31 July 2006.

Parenting Contracts

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many parenting contracts have been issued in Milton Keynes since their inception.

Jacqui Smith: My Department began collecting data on parenting contracts (in cases of non-attendance and exclusions from school) from September 2004. Between September 2004 and 31 July 2005 local authorities in England have reported that 5,717 parenting contracts in cases of non-attendance have been agreed with parents. During the same period 418 parenting contracts in cases of exclusion from school were agreed with parents. Milton Keynes local authority has reported no parenting contracts between September 2004 and 31 July 2005. Data for this autumn term will be published in March 2006.

Positive Learning Environment

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps are being taken by her Department to promote a pro-achievement ethos, culture and environment within (a) schools and (b) communities.

Jacqui Smith: The Government have introduced a wide range of reforms which have promoted substantial improvements in achievement rates since 1997. These include our Specialist Schools policy which enables some of our best schools to drive innovation and play a leading role in the system; the introduction of Academies to raise attainment in communities in the areas of greatest need; and the targeted challenge and support provided through the National Strategies to raise achievements in the core subjects. These reforms have been supported by an unprecedented level of investment in better teachers' pay; in more support staff; in new computers and other equipment; and in new school buildings.
	Real improvements have followed. Compared with 1997, around 84,000 more 11-year-olds started secondary school this year with the basic literacy and numeracy skills to do well; and 50,000 more 14-year-olds achieved the target standard in English and mathematics this year than did so in 2001, when the Key Stage 3 Strategy was introduced. Schools in the most deprived communities have achieved faster than average improvements, especially in the proportion of good passes at GCSE, thanks to programmes such as London Challenge and Excellence in Cities which has also promoted collaboration between schools to raise standards.
	The Schools White Paper published last month sets out our plans to improve the school system further, in particular by putting parents and the needs of their children at the heart of it, freeing up schools to innovate and succeed, bringing in new dynamism and external support and ensuring that failure or coasting is not an option for any school.

Predictive Diallers

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many calls were made from call centres in her Department in 200405 using predictive diallers; how many such calls resulted in contact being made with the recipient without a Government agent available to talk to them; and what assessment she has made of the likely impact of Ofcom's policy on silent calls on the use of predictive diallers in departmental call centres.

Bill Rammell: The Department for Education and Skills does not use predictive diallers within call centres. No calls were made using this facility in 200405.

Prison Education

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the funding is for 200506 courses for prisoners at (a) entry level, (b) levels 13 and (c) levels 47 separately indicating the amount being spent on Open University courses under (c) .

Phil Hope: Expenditure on learning and skills for offenders in custody is planned to be 110.9 million in financial year 200506. Within that total, 1.05 million is available for higher education and access to higher education courses. The budget is not otherwise hypothecated for provision at particular levels. Actual spend will be determined by the assessed needs of offender learners.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if she will make a statement on progress towards the public service agreement target to raise standards in English and mathematics so that, by 2006, 85 per cent. of 11-year-olds achieve level 4 or above;
	(2)  if she will make a statement on progress towards the public service agreement target to raise standards in English, mathematics, ICT and science in secondary education so that by 2007 85 per cent. of 14-year-olds achieve level 5 or above.

Jacqui Smith: Progress against the Department's outstanding public service agreements (PSAs) was most recently reported in the 2005 departmental report, published in June 2005, together with the Department's assessment towards achievement of the targets. A copy of the report is available from the House of Commons Library.
	Provisional results for 2005 key stage 2 tests were published in a Statistical First Release (SFR) on 23 August 2005. The provisional data show 79 per cent. of pupils achieved level 4 and above in English, and 75 per cent. of pupils achieved level 4 and above in mathematics. The corresponding figures for 2004 are 78 per cent. and 74 per cent. respectively. In 1997, 63 per cent. of pupils achieved level 4 and above in English, and 62 per cent. of pupils achieved level 4 and above in mathematics. This year's results mean that compared with 1997, around 84,000 more 11-year-olds started secondary school this year with the basic literacy and numeracy skills to do well.
	Provisional results for 2005 key stage 3 tests were published in an SFR on 8 September 2005. The provisional data show: 74 per cent. of pupils achieved level 5 and above in English; 74 per cent. in mathematics; 70 per cent. in science; and 69 per cent. in ICT. The corresponding figures for 2004 are: 71 per cent.; 73 per cent.; 66 per cent. and 67 per cent. respectively. In 1997, 57 per cent. of pupils achieved level 5 and above in English; 60 per cent. in mathematics; 60 per cent. in science; and 50 per cent. in ICT. Approximately 103,000 more 14-year-olds in English and 86,000 more in maths achieved the target level at key stage 3 this year than did so in 1997.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the steps she is taking to ensure the public service agreement target for the percentage of children in all schools achieving five GCSEs at grades A*-C is met.

Jacqui Smith: Provisional 2005 results show that 55.7 per cent. of pupils achieved five or more GCSEs or equivalent at grades A*-C. This represents an increase of two percentage points compared with 2004 and an increase of 10.6 percentage points compared with 1997. The Department has a number of initiatives to ensure that schools receive the resources, advice and support that they need to raise attainment further at key stage 4. The key stage 3 national strategy has extended to become a full secondary national strategy for school improvement designed to raise standards, particularly in the core subjects, for all secondary school pupils. It is introducing excellent teaching and learning practices into every classroom through CPD, teaching materials and consultancy support. In addition, the secondary performance project draws on the expertise of successful schools and the Specialist Schools Trust to work in partnership with around 400 schools underperforming in value added terms.
	The White Paper Higher Standards, Better Schools for All published last month sets out our plans to improve standards further, particularly by providing significant new incentives for schools to tailor education to the needs of every child and focus on the basics of English and mathematics.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she will assess progress on the Public Service Agreement target to increase the proportion of 19-year-olds who achieve at least level 2 by three percentage points between 2004 and 2006.

Bill Rammell: The next formal assessment of this PSA target is due in February 2006. Final reporting on the target will be due in February 2007, when we will have matched data on level 2 attainment for all qualification types for young people who will be 19 in 2006.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to ensure the target is met in respect of science in the public service agreement target to raise standards in secondary schools.

Jacqui Smith: Through the secondary national strategy we are providing all schools with advice, guidance and teaching materials together with training and targeted consultancy support to improve the quality of teaching and learning in science and to raise standards. In partnership with the Welcome Trust, we have also established a network of science learning centres to enable teachers to enhance their professional skills.
	New programmes of study for science are also being introduced at key stages 3 and 4, which are intended to maintain the breadth, depth and challenge of the current curriculum, while ensuring that science teaching is effective, motivating and relevant.
	At key stage 3, provisional 2005 results show that 70 per cent. of pupils achieved level 5 and above in science. Provisional 2005 figures at key stage 4 show 50 per cent. of pupils achieved grade A*-C in science. The corresponding figures for 2004 are 66 per cent. and 48.2 per cent. respectively.

Register of Learning Providers

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what procedures are in place to ensure only genuine (a) language schools and (b) education providers are admitted into the UK Register of Learning Providers.

Phil Hope: The UK Register of Learning Providers is a voluntary register and has a robust system in place to validate all learning providers who wish to register. Learning providers, including language schools, must be a legal entity and their status is checked through the appropriate channel such as Companies House and the Charity Commission.

Schools

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she expects to publish draft regulations for the implementation for the proposed new School Admissions Code of Practice.

Jacqui Smith: We have recently consulted on changes to the School Admissions Code of Practice and on Regulations covering the admission of looked after children, infant class size appeals and selection by aptitude. We expect to lay the regulations and the code before Parliament later this month, with both coming in to force in the new year.

Schools

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what criteria were used to assess the bids from (a) Rednock and (b) Cleeve school in Gloucestershire for the last round of Building Schools for the Future; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: Gloucestershire county council bid to our Targeted Capital Fund for projects at Cleeve and Rednock schools. The Cleeve bid was successful and the Rednock bid, unsuccessful. I am putting a copy of the bidding guidance, which contains the criteria, in the House Libraries. We have provided feedback to the authority on its unsuccessful bid.
	We increased the size of the fund from 493 million to 1.1 billion over two years and this enabled us to support about 45 per cent. of local authority bids, compared to 33 per cent. in the previous round. The fund is, however, very competitive and it is not possible to support all the worthwhile bids we receive.
	Building Schools for the Future is our long-term strategic programme to transform the facilities for all secondary pupils over 15 years, subject to future public spending decisions. It does not involve bidding either by local authorities or individual schools. As Gloucestershire does not start in the programme until after 2011, we have just allocated the authority around 20 million to rebuild one of its worst condition schools as a 'school of the future'.

Schools

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the subjects that are compulsory in secondary schools for each year group.

Jacqui Smith: The compulsory subjects of the National Curriculum at Key Stage 3, years 79, are: English; Mathematics; Science; Design and Technology; Information and Communication Technology; History; Geography; Modern Foreign Languages: Art and Design; Music; Physical Education; and Citizenship. Schools must also provide Religious Education, Careers Education and Sex Education.
	The compulsory subjects of the National Curriculum at Key Stage 4, years 1011, are: English; Mathematics; Science; Information and Communication Technology; Physical Education; and Citizenship. Schools must also provide Religious Education, Careers Education, and Sex Education. In addition at Key Stage 4, all pupils must undertake work-related learning. Pupils are also entitled if they wish to follow a course in one or more of the four entitlement areas of the arts, design and technology, humanities and modern foreign languages.

Schools

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list (a) infant, (b) primary and (c) secondary schools which had a deficit in 200405; what estimate she has made of the number of schools likely to have a deficit by the end of 200506; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not yet available. The Department is awaiting a complete dataset relating to the 200405 financial year. I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as the information is to hand.

Schools

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils did not have a school place on (i) 1 August, (ii) 1 September and (iii) 1 October in each London borough.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally. However, we do know that co-ordination of the secondary admissions process has resulted in fewer parents receiving multiple offers of school places and fewer being left with no offer at all. By giving local authorities a central role in co-ordinating the process for their areas, we have enabled them to obtain better information on children who have not had any offer, and this has led to them being able to intervene earlier to find school places. Local authorities estimated that, compared with the same stage in the process last year, on 1 March 2005 (the national offer date for secondary schools) the number of children in London without an offer of a school place had reduced by 40 per cent.

Schools

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps she is taking to ensure that schools have adequate printing facilities which allow them to print out documents for use in classrooms.

Jacqui Smith: Each maintained school has the freedom to choose the solution that best meets its local needs for printing out documents for use in the classroom. Such facilities will form part of the school's information and communications technology package, which is currently funded through the ICT in Schools Standards Fund, Devolved Formula Capital Grant and other funding that the school or local authority chooses to make available.

Schools

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills further to her oral statement of 25 October 2005, Official Report, column 171, on the Schools White Paper, if she will set out her proposals for improving transport to schools, with particular reference to the cost barriers for the most deprived pupils; and what estimate she has made of the cost of such proposals.

Jacqui Smith: Research published by my Department in 2004 suggests that nearly two thirds of pupils who currently travel to school by bus or taxi have their fares paid by their family, not their local authority, at an average cost of 7.29 per pupil per week. Only around 10 per cent. of children entitled to free school meals travel three or more miles to school compared to 18 per cent. of children not entitled to free school meals.
	The White Paper proposes to improve transport arrangements for the most deprived pupils by extending entitlement to free home to school transport for secondary aged pupils to any one of the three nearest suitable schools, where the distance travelled is between two and six miles. For the most deprived primary aged pupils, the entitlement to free transport will be extended so that they will receive free transport to their nearest school where this is more than two miles from their home. The estimated cost of these two extensions of entitlement is 40 million per annum. Full costings and related assumptions will be included in the regulatory impact assessment that will accompany the Bill.

Schools

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the number of school-age children who reside within six miles of three secondary schools.

Jacqui Smith: The information requested has been provided in the following table.
	
		Number of school-age children who reside within six miles(27) of three secondary schools(28)England
		
			  Number Percentage 
		
		
			 5 to 10-year-olds 3,163,619 91.7 
			 11 to 15-year-olds 2,738,714 91.5 
			 5 to 15-year-olds 5,902,333 91.6 
		
	
	(27) Distances calculated are straight line and take no account of the route pupils follow in order to get to school.
	(28) Includes maintained secondary schools, CTCs and Academies.
	Source:
	Annual School Census 2005 Final.

Science

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answers to the hon. Member for Mid-Bedfordshire, of 2 November 2005, Official Report, columns 120304W, on science, whether the figures in Table 2 are included in the figures in Table 1.

Jacqui Smith: The figures in Table 2 were not included in Table 1. Table 1 includes recruitment to initial teacher training in universities and other higher education institutions, school centred initial teacher training (SCITT) and the Open university but excludes recruitment to employment based routes.

Science

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many science departments there have been in state schools in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: All secondary schools have a science department. Primary schools are not organised by subject departments. Most primary schools appoint a science coordinator to lead, manage and guide the teaching of science in their schools.

Science

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2005, Official Report, column 131W, on special schools, what the complex issues are; and if she will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: There are clear advantages to special schools acquiring trust status but we also need to consider carefully the role of local authorities given that they have statutory responsibilities for identifying, assessing and making provision for children with SEN. We intend to consult special school head teachers, local authority and other representative bodies before coming to a final decision on this issue. We will announce how we intend to proceed in due course.

Selection

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what definition of (a) selection by aptitude and (b) selection by ability she used in her recent White Paper.

Jacqui Smith: 'Ability' is defined in statute by section 99(5)(b) of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 as
	either general ability or ability in any particular subject or subjects.
	Paragraph 7.11 of the statutory school admissions code of practice defines a pupil with aptitude as
	one who is identified as being able to benefit from teaching in a specific subject, or who demonstrates a particular capacity to succeed in that subject.

Sure Start

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the effects of Sure Start on (a) parents and (b) children.

Beverley Hughes: There is a comprehensive national level evaluation of Sure Start local programmes in place which began in January 2001. It examines the impact of Sure Start on children, parents, families and communities, both in the short, medium and long term by tracking a sample of 8,000 children and their families over time. The first information on the effects of Sure Start on children and families will be available by the end of the year.

Sure Start

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the steps she is taking to meet the Sure Start target to reduce the proportion of young children living in households where no one is working.

Beverley Hughes: Sure Start Local Programmes (and now children's centres) work closely with Jobcentre Plus in providing a range of initiatives to encourage and support parents of young children in moving towards the labour market. Childcare Partnership Managers in all Jobcentre Plus districts are fostering closer working in all local authority areas, including focusing on meeting the childcare needs of unemployed parents. Progress is good with the most recent data (200304) showing a 7.3 per cent. drop against the overall target of a 12 per cent. drop by March 2006.

Sure Start

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on progress towards the Sure Start target to reduce the proportion of mothers who smoke during pregnancy.

Beverley Hughes: Our target is to reduce the number of women in Sure Start local programme areas who smoke during pregnancy by 6 per cent. between 2003 and 2006. Up until March 2004 we have achieved a reduction of 1.4 per cent.
	Programmes carry out a wide range of activities to reduce smoking from work with pregnant mothers to smoke free homes initiatives and preventative work with school children. Some programmes have performed particularly well, reporting up to 25 per cent. reductions in some areas and we are encouraging them to share good practice. This is a challenging target with many programmes working in communities where smoking is the cultural norm. We know that programmes find this work easier where the PCT takes a strong strategic lead, for example, by providing training, advice or help with funding for programmes smoking cessation workers or midwives.

Teaching Standards

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of schools have had unsatisfactory standards of teaching in each of the last five years.

Jacqui Smith: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, David Bell, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of his letter has been placed in the House Libraries.
	Letter from David Bell to Mr. John Bercow, dated 7 November 2005
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for reply.
	Attached is a table which shows the percentage of schools judged to have the unsatisfactory/poor teaching, for the academic years 2000/01 to 2004/05.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Jacqui Smith and will be placed in the Library of both Houses.
	
		Table 1: Percentage of schools with unsatisfactory/poor teaching: 2000/01 to 2004/05
		
			  Percentage of primary schools Percentage of secondary schools 
		
		
			 2000/01 4 4 
			 2001/02 3 4 
			 2002/03 3 5 
			 2003/04 3 9 
			 2004/05 3 5 
		
	
	Note:
	Framework changes occurred in January 2000 and September 2003. These changes mean that the data are not fully comparable from one framework to another.

Under-achievement

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the impact of the accessibility of extra-curricular activities, including sports, upon under-achievement (a) nationally and (b) by children from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Jacqui Smith: Research shows that there are significant benefits for young people participating in study support (out of school hours learning) activities. In June 2001, my Department published The Impact of Study Support, which set out the findings of a three-year longitudinal study of around 8,000 pupils in 52 secondary schools. The research found that pupils participating in study support do better than their peers who do not in three key areasattainment, attitudes to school and attendance at school. The study also indicated that minority ethnic pupils and pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds gain most benefit, and that participation increases the likelihood of subsequent participation. Young people can benefit from a wide range of activities, not just those which are linked to curriculum subjects.
	A recent MORI survey by my Department showed that the most popular study support activities are PE and sport. In addition to the health and fitness benefits, the medium of sport can be used to enhance young people's numeracy and literacy skills, as well as contributing to improved motivation and behaviour.

Under-achievement

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the impact of a positive learning environment upon under-achievement (a) nationally and (b) by children from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Jacqui Smith: There are a range of factors, in both the home and school, which are shown to influence a positive learning environment. Many of these factors are shown to particularly focus on supporting low achieving children, who disproportionately tend to be from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
	Research shows that the quality of the home environment in the pre-school years has the strongest impact on child development at start of school and beyond, and is therefore the most important influence on child development in the pre-school period. The Department's effective provision of pre-school education (EPPE) study has shown that, for all children, the type and range of learning activities that parents undertake with their pre-school children (for example, reading, singing nursery rhymes and playing with numbers) are more important for intellectual and social development than parental occupation, education or income.
	Research also highlights that school related factors such as, personalisation of learning, mentoring and tailoring the curriculum for pupils who are gifted and talented all contribute to a positive learning environment. Early findings from the excellence in cities programme and pupil learning credits pilot suggest an impact on attitudes, attendance and key stage 3 mathematics results. The research shows that the most progress in mathematics was made by pupils from the most deprived schools.
	School organisation and ethos is also important in developing a positive learning environment. The behaviour improvement programme indicates that effective combinations of measures including behaviour audits, development of behaviour and attendance strategies, learning mentors, learning support units and multi-agency working, are effective in improving behaviour and attendance.

Under-achievement

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the impact of low level classroom disruption on under-achievement (a) nationally and (b) by children from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Jacqui Smith: The Department has made no formal assessment of the impact of low level classroom disruption on under-achievement However, research evidence indicates that there is a complex relationship between behaviour, attainment and social class. Research shows that being in a school where there are high levels of disruption can impact negatively on pupils' learning and there is some evidence that it may have more of an impact on pupils from low socio-economic groups. In addition the Department's data shows that schools with higher levels of permanent exclusions tend to have lower levels of attainment as do young people who have been excluded.
	Evidence also suggests that there is a link between social class and behaviour both at an individual and a school level. Pupils from low socio-economic groups are more likely to report having been punished or excluded from school; and evidence from teachers suggests that schools with high levels of children on free school meals have higher levels of classroom disruption.
	We have made clear our support for schools to take a zero tolerance approach in tackling low level disruption in the classroom. We are further strengthening our programme of work to combat such disruption by taking forward the recommendations of an experienced group of heads and teachers, led by Sir Alan Steer, who had a specific remit to address the impact of low level disorder on teaching and learning. A number of these recommendations feature in the recent Schools White Paper.

Under-achievement

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has made of the potential impact of setting by ability upon underachievement by children from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Jacqui Smith: Effective grouping of pupils by ability can raise standards and better engage pupils in their own learning. Putting children in different ability groups within a class is now commonplace in primary schools and over a third of classes are set by ability in secondary schools including the majority of lessons in English, maths, science and modern foreign languages.
	It is for schools to use their own professional judgment to determine for themselves how and when to set or group pupils so as to ensure that it helps to raise the attainment of all pupils, including those from low socio-economic backgrounds. We set out proposals in our recent schools' White Paper, for support for schools to tailor education so that no child falls behind and no child is held back from achieving their potential. Our proposals include helping schools to learn from the best practices around setting and grouping as well as investing an additional 60 million a year, and targeting 335 million within the new dedicated schools grant to support personalisation in key stage 3, over the next two years.

Under-achievement

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the capacity of schools to provide one-to-one teaching to tackle under-achievement by pupils from low socio-economic backgrounds;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the potential impact of one-to-one teaching upon under-achievement by pupils from low socio-economic backgrounds;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the potential impact of tailored teaching upon under-achievement by pupils from low socio-economic backgrounds;
	(4)  what assessment she has made of the potential impact of personalised learning upon under-achievement by pupils from low socio-economic backgrounds;
	(5)  what action is being taken by her Department to ensure that children from low socio-economic backgrounds in secondary education (a) attain the necessary skills and (b) achieve the best possible results;
	(6)  what action is being taken by her Department to promote opportunity for children from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Jacqui Smith: Good schools have been personalising their teaching and learning, with great success for many years to raise standards and meet the learning needs of their pupils. We know that personalising learning, which includes assessment for learning; high quality tailored whole class, small group and one-to-one teaching; a flexible curriculum, effective school organisation and strong partnerships beyond the school, can raise pupil achievement particularly for low achieving pupils who disproportionately tend to be from low socio-economic backgrounds. We now want this to be common practice across all schools, particularly for children at either end of the ability spectrum whose needs can be the most challenging to meet.
	We will therefore allocate 335 million by 200708, specifically earmarked within our Dedicated Schools Grant, to provide the resources secondary schools need to start delivering personalised learning for pupils in Key Stage 3, focusing funding on deprived areas, particularly for those who have fallen behind in literacy and numeracy and for those who are gifted or talented. For those schools with the highest numbers of children who have fallen behind we will provide a further targeted 60 million in each of 200607 and 200708, shared across the primary and secondary sectors, to provide more effective one-to-one and small group tuition. We will also provide all schools with best practice materials, guidance and access to training on the most effective teaching and learning strategies to personalise learning to the needs of each pupil.
	Through School Improvement Partners and the new OFSTED inspection regime we will challenge every school to demonstrate they are planning and delivering effective tailored teaching and learning for every child, particularly for under-achieving groups of pupils, including those from low socio-economic backgrounds, as well as overall school performance.

Under-achievement

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what problems are faced by her Department when trying to increase parental involvement in education.

Jacqui Smith: We know that the way schools currently involve parents is varied. For example, we know that in primary schools there is a much more inclusive approach to parents, resulting in parents of primary school children feeling more confident about engaging with their child's school. However, we know this is not always the case with secondary schools, where establishing such a relationship is more difficult. Further, we know that some parents, due to the complexities of their own lives or their own educational history, are more reluctant to engage with their children's school.
	We want to help parents and schools to work well together and raise children's achievement. We know that the key to improving parental involvement in children's education is changing attitudes and moving towards a situation where parents are accepted as co-educators and partners in their children's learning, not only in schools but also in local authorities. It is crucial we ensure that the importance of parental involvement is embedded throughout the education chain to establish a culture of parental involvement and encourage a positive, two-way partnership.
	To enable this, we are actively encouraging parents to become more closely involved in their children's education and learning at home and at school. Since 1997, we have sought to enhance parental involvement through a range of measures. These include information for parents such as videos, DVDs, the Learning Journey guides and the Parents Centre website; and materials for schools such as the Involving Parents, Raising Achievement toolkit.
	Parental involvement is not only key to the standards agenda, but is equally central to creating a culture of lifelong learning and high aspirations in communities and families, regardless of background. This message has been reinforced by the White Paper Higher Standards, Better Schools for All.

Universities (Bureaucracy)

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pages of (a) guidance and (b) other paperwork universities received from (i) her Department and (ii) non-departmental public bodies in the sector on each day in 2004.

Bill Rammell: It is not possible to provide information for each day in 2004, so I am providing the information on an annual basis.
	The Government conducts their relationship with the university sector in England through three non-departmental public bodies: the Student Loans Company (SLC), the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Office for Fair Access (OFFA).
	During 2004, the SLC issued 5,000 posters to universities about the move paying loans by direct credit to student bank accounts instead of by payment by cheque, asking that these should be displayed to help students.
	HEFCE issued in printed form 11 guidance documents; 26 other publications, concerning different aspects of university core business and policy development; six HEFCE newsletters; four newsletters from the Joint Costing and Pricing Group; three Research Assessment Exercise documents; and 21 Circular letters to Vice-Chancellors and heads of HEIs. This came to a total of 1,573 pages.
	OFFA issued one guidance document 2004, totalling 18 pages in length.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Abdel Karim Taghouti

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what account his Department has taken of the recommendation of immigration Judge Maurice Cohen given in his determination of 14 September 2005, Appeal No. OA/00652/2005, in respect of the appeal of Abdel Karim Taghouti that entry clearance be granted to the appellant without further delay; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  for what reasons the decision of Asylum and Immigration Tribunal determined on 14 September 2005 in respect of Mr. Abdel Karim Taghouti, Appeal No. OA/00652/2005, has not yet been sent by the Government to the UK embassy in Tunis; when it will be sent; when a spouse's visa will be issued; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The visa section at our embassy in Tunis received Mr. Taghouti's appeal determination from the Home Office on 31 October 2005. There was a public holiday between 37 November 2005, which prevented the embassy from contacting Mr. Taghouti. However, he approached the visa section on 8 November 2005 with his passport and was issued with his spouse visa.

Abdel Karim Taghouti

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons the UK embassy entry clearance office in Tunis has disregarded the submission of two faxed copies of the successful appeal of Abdel Karim Taghouti, Appeal No. OA/00652/2005, against their refusal to grant him a spouse's visa submitted to them by Messrs. Marziano Khatry Mak Solicitors; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The visa section at our embassy in Tunis received faxed copies of Mr. Taghouti's appeal determination from Marziano Khatry Mak Solicitors on 15 September 2005 and 25 October 2005. On receipt of the first fax, the visa section replied by e-mail to explain that an entry clearance officer must receive an appeal determination directly from the Home Office.
	The visa section received Mr. Taghouti's appeal determination from the Home Office on 31 October 2005. There was a public holiday between 37 November 2005, which prevented the embassy from contacting Mr. Taghouti. However, he approached the visa section on 8 November 2005 with his passport and was issued with his spouse visa.

China

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he plans to have with President Hu of China during his visit to the UK regarding China's use of political psychiatry.

Ian Pearson: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister raised human rights issues with President Hu during his visit. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary did not hold a separate meeting with the President.

Craig Alden

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance his Department has provided to Mr. Craig Alden, a British citizen imprisoned in Brazil; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: British embassy officials visit Craig Alden on a regular basis. The British consul last visited him on 3 November 2005. In addition embassy officials regularly speak to Mr. Alden by telephone.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met Craig Alden's mother in 2004 and my noble Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), Lord Triesman of Tottenham, met Mrs. Alden in July 2005. Consular officials in London and Brasilia have met Mrs. Alden on a number of occasions.
	As a result of concerns about the fairness of the trial proceedings leading to Craig Alden's conviction in 2002, the FCO offered Craig Alden the services of a member of the FCO pro bono lawyers panel, Jeremy Richardson QC.
	Jeremy Richardson produced two reports on the Alden case, as a result of which the Foreign Secretary made a decision to support an application to the Brazilian Government, for presidential expulsion. He wrote to the Brazilian Foreign Minister in March 2005 referring to some of the concerns highlighted by Jeremy Richardson. In August 2005, the Brazilian authorities informed British embassy officials of their intention to reject Craig Alden's request for presidential expulsion. The British ambassador in Brasilia continues to press the Brazilian authorities for a full response.

Criminal Offences

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by his Department from May 1997 up to and including April 2005, broken down by Act.

Jack Straw: holding answer 11 November 2005
	The following criminal offences have been created in legislation for which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has been responsible from May 1997 to April 2005:
	International Criminal Court Act 2001: Sections 51, 52, 54, 58, 59 and 61; genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, ancillary offences, offences in relation to the International Criminal Court.
	Landmines Act 1998: Sections 2. 12, 14, 17, 18 and 19; offences relating to anti-personnel landmines, offences relating to destruction, fact finding missions, notices, unlawful obstruction and disclosure of information.
	Nuclear Explosions (Prohibition and Inspections) Act 1998: Sections 1 and 7; causing a nuclear explosion, offences in connection with on-site inspections.

Indonesia

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the UK Government has made to the Indonesian Government over incidents of violence against the Christian community in Central Sulawesi.

Ian Pearson: Immediately after the recent beheadings in Central Sulawesi, President Yudhoyono condemned what he described as a sadistic crime, and sent extra police to the area to ensure that violence did not flare up. The British ambassador in Jakarta has discussed the issue with senior Indonesian officials and expressed the UK's shock at the incident.
	In September this year, President Yudhoyono stressed that the state guaranteed every citizen religious freedom and called on the police and members of the public to act to prevent violence against any faith. We co-sponsored, with the Indonesian Government in Bali in July, an international conference to promote inter-faith understanding and harmony. We will continue to co-operate with them on this important objective.

Iran

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from which organisations the Government have received intelligence reports on the situation in Iran.

Kim Howells: It is not the Government's policy to comment on intelligence matters.

Somalia

Si�n James: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the ambush of Somalian interim Prime Minister Ali Muhammad Gedi in Mogadishu on 7 November.

Ian Pearson: As EU presidency we issued a statement condemning in the strongest terms the attack, deeply regretting the killing and wounding of several people and conveying condolences to the families of the victims.
	We continue to engage with partners in the international community to support the Transitional Federal Institutions and urge the Somalis to resolve their differences peacefully and return to good governance.

Sudan

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the US Administration regarding the decision to reduce US funding for the African Union mission in Darfur.

Ian Pearson: We have raised this issue with the US Administration who have told us that no decision has been taken to reduce funding for the African Union mission in Darfur, contrary to press accounts.

United States (Prince of Wales's Visit)

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2005, Official Report, column 754W, on HRH Prince of Wales (US visit), whether it is intended that, in respect of the 60 per cent. balance of other costs referred to in his reply, (a) HRH the Prince of Wales' Household shall be billed for these amounts and (b) the charities shall be billed directly for these amounts; and what amounts will be paid by each charity.

Jack Straw: The estimated costs included in the 60 per cent. have been or will be met directly by The Prince of Wales' Household or associated charities and no recharging is therefore required. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not have details of the amounts incurred by individual charities.

United States (Prince of Wales's Visit)

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2005, Official Report, column 754W, on HRH the Prince of Wales (US visit), what the (a) details and (b) amounts are of the other costs referred to in his reply; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: Exact costs of the visit will not be known until the final accounts are completed. However, we estimate that the total costs to be met by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from public funds to be 180,000.

United States (Prince of Wales's Visit)

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much of the cost of HRH the Prince of Wales's visit to the US was met out of the UK ambassador's frais allowance.

Jack Straw: We are unable to provide this breakdown until all the final costs of the visit are accounted for. I will write to my hon. Friend once the figures are available, which will be by the end of December, and will place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

United States (Prince of Wales's Visit)

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the UK Embassy's press office staff accompanied HRH the Prince of Wales during his official visit to the US; on what occasions; how many person hours were involved; what proportion of the press office person hours were in connection with events relating to the Prince's charities; on what occasions; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Two out of the five Press Office staff from the British Embassy in Washington accompanied Their Royal Highnesses at all times throughout the tour. The following elements required additional support from the press office: White House dinner and reception1 additional press officer; Visit to SEED school2 additional press officers; Visit to National Institutes of Health1 additional press officer; Seminar at Georgetown University1 additional press officer; Reception at the Ambassador's Residence1 additional press officer; and visit to Folger Shakespeare Library1 additional press officer.
	The Embassy estimates that 177 hours were spent in total on the press element for the duration of the visit. There were three events with which His Royal Highnesses' Foundations were associated: The National Building Museum event, the Reception hosted by Her Majesty's Ambassador and the Business and Environment Event in San Francisco. Seven hours were spent doing press work for these events.

CABINET OFFICE

Damages

John Hayes: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the 10 largest amounts of damages paid out by his Department in the last year for which figures are available, indicating in each case the nature of the claim.

Jim Murphy: The last year for which figures are available is 200405. During that period, four cases of injury claims were settled by the Department. The amounts involved were:
	65,629.30
	6,258.70
	2,125.00
	700.64

Departmental Assets

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the 10 most valuable (a) movable and (b) immovable assets owned by his Department.

Jim Murphy: The top five most valuable movable assets are information technology hardware and software relating to e-Government projects (development of the Government Gateway, Delivering on the Promise, Knowledge Network and Directgov) and to Scope (cross-departmental information strategy.)
	The next five most valuable movable assets are items of art and antique furniture located in buildings within the Cabinet Office's estate.
	The top 10 most valuable immovable assets are freehold properties on the Cabinet Office's estate.

Departmental Salaries

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the 10 highest-paid employees in his Department, broken down by (a) job title and (b) salary including bonuses; and whether the individual concerned is (i) a civil servant and (ii) a contractor in each case.

Jim Murphy: Details of the remuneration of the senior management in the Cabinet Office are published in the Department's Annual Report and Resource Accounts 200405 at paragraph 3.3, beginning on page 35. A copy is available in the Library.

Smoking

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will publish the findings of the Better Regulation Task Force on the provisions on smoking in public places contained in the Health Bill; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The Better Regulation Task Force (BRTF) is an independent body, set up to advise Government on action to ensure that regulation and its enforcement comply with the five principles of good regulation. The Cabinet Office sponsors the BRTF but does not speak for it.

HEALTH

Alliance Medical

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average amount of time taken is for Alliance Medical to provide extra scanning capacity in the NHS from winning the contract for the service to the services coming on-line.

Liam Byrne: holding answer 20 October 2005
	The contract was awarded to Alliance Medical Limited in June 2004. The first unit was scanning national health service patients five weeks later and the full service of 12 mobile scanners became operational by December 2004.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 28 October 2005, Official Report, column 573W, on carbon monoxide poisoning, how many leaflets will be available for distribution to general practitioner surgeries.

Caroline Flint: 186,500 leaflets will be printed in total and 20 leaflets will be distributed to each of the approximately 93,000 general practitioner surgeries in England. 50 leaflets will be provided for each of the endorsers and 100 will be provided for CO-Gas safety. The remainder will be stored for distribution in response to individual requests. The leaflet is also being made available on the Department's website.

Correspondence

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will respond to the letter of 12 September 2005 from Mr. Hewson of Ashley Lane, New Milton, regarding his family's recent experience of NHS provision.

Jane Kennedy: We have no record of receiving Mr. Hewson's original letter; however he did send a copy of the letter on 25 October 2005 and a reply was sent on 1 November 2005.

Data Protection

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will investigate the Royal Free hospital's complaints handling arrangements; and if she will take steps (a) to remind the hospital authorities of the exemption of hon. Members from data protection rules concerning patient confidentiality and (b) to encourage them to deal with hon. Members' complaints more promptly.

Jane Kennedy: While Members of Parliament are not prevented from accessing patient records by the Data Protection Act 1998, it is important to distinguish between this Act and the separate common law obligations of confidentiality under which patients records are held. Access to records held in confidence must be with the consent of the patient concerned. Right hon. and hon. Members should ensure that they have this consent prior to undertaking investigations on behalf of their constituents.
	The Department has published a code of practice on confidentiality for the national health service that provides comprehensive guidance on the use and disclosure of patient health information. This states that:
	Careful consideration of any written authorisation and prompt action are key, e.g. where an MP states, in writing, that she/he has a patient's consent this may be accepted without further resort to the patient.

Departmental Estate

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) land and (b) property her Department owns in Kettering constituency.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 3 November 2005
	Northfield House at Kettering General Hospital is in the ownership of the Secretary of State for Health.

Departmental Skills Development Plan

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which individual is responsible for developing and implementing her Department's Skills Development Plan.

Jane Kennedy: The Director of Human Resources is responsible for developing and implementing the skills development plan.

Departmental Skills Development Plan

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library a copy of her Department's Skills Development Plan.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Departmental Staff

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new staff started employment in the Department during the year ending 31 March 2005 (a) 2001, (b) 2002, (c) 2003, (d) 2004 and (e) 2005; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The number of staff who joined the Department over the last five years is shown in the table. Many of these staff would have been on a fixed term contract, or on loan/secondment into the Department, therefore the number of staff who remain employed by the Department is also shown.
	
		
			 As at 1 February to 31 March: Total number of new staff in Department of Health Still employed No longer employed 
		
		
			 200001 815 168 647 
			 200102 738 188 550 
			 200203 635 201 434 
			 200304 369 114 255 
			 200405 263 170 93 
		
	
	
		
			 As at 1 February to 31 March: Total number of new staff in Department of Health Still employed (percentage) 
		
		
			 200001 815 20.6 
			 200102 738 25.5 
			 200203 635 31.7 
			 200304 369 30.9 
			 200405 263 64.6 
		
	
	
		Total number of full-time equivalent staff in Department of Health(29)
		
			 As at 31 March:  
		
		
			 2001 3,632 
			 2002 3,809 
			 2003 3,390 
			 2004 2,964 
			 2005 2,189 
		
	
	(29) Figures taken from 2005 departmental report.

Diabetes

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many insulin pumps have been prescribed to NHS patients since the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Guidance was issued in February 2003.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 10 November 2005
	This information is not held centrally.

HIV/AIDS

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the cost-effectiveness of the refusal to grant free HIV treatment of some migrants;
	(2)  what representations she has received regarding the provision of free HIV treatment to migrants in the UK.

Jane Kennedy: Diagnostic testing for HIV, and any associated counselling is free to all. However, subsequent treatment should the test prove positive is not and those people who are not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, or otherwise exempt from charges, are expected to pay for any national health service hospital treatment provided. This has always been the case since the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations were introduced in 1989. We believe that the overseas visitors charging regime is about more than just the protection of NHS resources. Equally important is the protection of the principle that the NHS exists primarily for the benefit of those who are living legally in the UK, and not for those who are not. The Government have to balance public health responsibilities, and responsibilities to individual patients, with its wider responsibilities in terms of immigration and asylum policy. Such responsibilities cannot be assessed in purely monetary terms.
	A number of voluntary bodies and other organisations with an interest in HIV/AIDS have written to Ministers on this matter in recent months. In addition, the Health Select Committee covered this issue in its report New Developments in Sexual Health and HIV/AIDS Policy published in March 2005, to which the Government responded in July 2005.

HIV/AIDS

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to update the HIV Testing Kits and Services Regulations 1992 to (a) legalise and (b) regulate home testing for HIV/AIDS; and what representations she has received on this subject.

Caroline Flint: We have no current plans to update the HIV Testing Kits and Services Regulations 1992 and have received no representations on this subject. We keep policy on HIV testing under ongoing review.

HIV/AIDS

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to evaluate the costs and benefits to the NHS of exempting the continuing treatment of HIV/AIDS on the NHS from charges for those who are not otherwise entitled to treatment free of charge.

Jane Kennedy: The national health service is first and foremost for people who live in the United Kingdom (UK). Anyone who is not ordinarily resident in the UK is subject to the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989, as amended, and will be liable to pay for any hospital treatment they receive, including HIV treatment, unless they meet the criteria for one of many exemption categories listed in the regulations. This has always been the case since these regulations were introduced in 1989.
	We have no plans to carry out a specific cost/benefit analysis of this long-standing policy at this time. We believe that the overseas visitors charging regime is about more than just the protection of NHS resources. Equally important is the protection of the principle that the NHS exists primarily for the benefit of those who are living legally in the UK, and not for those who are not. The Government has to balance public health responsibilities, and responsibilities to individual patients, with its wider responsibilities in terms of immigration and asylum policy. Such responsibilities cannot be assessed in purely monetary terms.

Hospital Acquired Infection

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made by the Office for National Statistics and the Health Protection Agency in the study of the proportion of deaths which may be associated with hospital acquired infections.

Jane Kennedy: The Health Protection Agency and the Office for National Statistics are undertaking this national study of deaths associated with healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs). The study will investigate a proportion of the deaths that occur, to identify potentially avoidable factors and lessons to be learned from them.
	This study consists of two main parts, a confidential study of deaths following HCAI and a separate quantitative analysis to estimate the proportion of patients with a defined HCAI who die within specified periods. A six-month pilot phase of the confidential qualitative study is underway and an interim report is expected next year. The main phase will be completed in the 18 months following and a report will be submitted to the Department and published at the end of the study. The quantitative study will be undertaken over the same period.

Hospital Closures

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals are proposed for closure in England; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: It is for local national health service organisations to decide on hospital closures. This Government has given local authority overview and scrutiny committees the power to review and scrutinise health services from the perspective of their local populations. NHS bodies are under a duty to consult overview and scrutiny committees on any plans to make substantial variation to NHS services. Those committees have the powers to refer any proposal to the Secretary of State if they believe the plans are not in the interests of the health service.

Hospital Restaurants

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have been offered a hospital subsidy to visit the hospital restaurant in each year since 1997; and how many of these patients were waiting in the accident and emergency department.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not collected by the Department. It is for local determination to decide if, and when, it is appropriate to offer patients the means to purchase food from the hospital restaurant. Clinical advice will influence any decisions taken with regard to patients within accident and emergency departments.

Literacy and Numeracy

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what methods of assessment of (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills are used as part of the recruitment process by employees of her Department.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 7 November 2005, Official Report, column 250W. Where a numeracy test is carried out, it usually takes the form of a written paper comprising a set of numerical questions. Where literacy tests are carried out, they usually comprise a spelling test, a word usage test, a drafting test and an English comprehension test.

Locum Doctors

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of locum doctors working in the NHS in each year since 1997.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 22 February 2005, Official Report, column 131W to the Member for North Southwark and Bermondsey (Simon Hughes).

Lyons Review

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in her Department (a) were relocated in 200405 and (b) are expected to be relocated in 200506 as a result of the Lyons review of public sector relocation; to which place they have been relocated; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 3 November 2005
	The Department has committed to relocate at least 1,110 posts by March 2010, with 80 from the core Department and 1,030 from arms length bodies.
	No Departmental staff were relocated from London to Leeds during 200405 as a result of the Lyons Review and none are expected to relocate during 200506. However, the following posts have been relocated, or are expected to relocate, from our arms length bodies in those periods, which is shown in the table.
	
		Posts relocated from arm's length bodies
		
			 200405 Number 
		
		
			 Healthcare Commission 165 
			 General Social Care Council 88 
			 Total 253 
			   
			 200506  
			 NHS Connecting for Health 75 
			 Health and Social Care Information Centre 76 
			 NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement 170 
			 NHS Professionals 40 
			 Total 361

Malnourishment (Portsmouth)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research she has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the number of people suffering from malnourishment in Portsmouth; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: There has been no specifically commissioned research into malnourishment in Portsmouth or the number of people affected by this. However, there is a strong local awareness of this issue and a range of initiatives has been introduced in the city accordingly. Work is in progress to evaluate a fruit and vegetable delivery scheme in one of the city's target regeneration areas. Work is also under way, again in targeted regeneration areas, to increase cookery skills through schools and community centres.

NHS Direct

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effects of NHS Direct on recruitment in accident and emergency.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to her on 28 June 2005, Official Report, column 1521W.

NHS Property

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total value is of property owned by the NHS which is allocated for sale but has not yet been sold; and what the total cost is per month of retaining this property in (a) England and (b) each strategic health authority.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not held centrally by the Department.

NICE (Drug Approvals)

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) can undertake before final market authorisation has been granted to a drug by the European Medicines Evaluation Agency in order that final approval by NICE can be accelerated.

Jane Kennedy: Information about the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE) processes is available on their website at www.nice.org.uk. Once a drug is formally referred to NICE, the Institute can begin the initial stages of the appraisal process before United Kingdom approval is given. However, I understand that NICE is not able to produce guidance or release consultation documents on any drug that has not received UK regulatory approval.

NICE (Drug Approvals)

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure that appraisals of new drugs are carried out in a timely and expeditious manner.

Jane Kennedy: holding answer 9 November 2005
	I refer my hon. Friend to the Written Ministerial Statement I gave on 3 November 2005, Official Report, columns 5152SW.

Obesity Clinics

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many specialist obesity clinics are operated by the national health service in England, broken down by region; what the (a) address and (b) contact details of each are; whether contact information will be included within the forthcoming Weight Loss Guide; and what steps she intends to take to encourage the development of further clinics.

Caroline Flint: Details of national health service operated obesity clinics for children and adults are shown in the tables.
	Health professionals are made aware of these clinics by their primary care trusts (PCTs). It is also up to PCTs as local commissioners and providers of services to determine the most appropriate methods to deliver health care to their populations, based on clinical need and effectiveness, as well as local circumstance, drawing on the available evidence.
	
		Obesity clinics for children in England
		
			 Government region Clinic Address/Contact 
		
		
			 London The Royal London Hospital Nutrition and Dietetic Department 59 Philpot Street London El 
			 London Great Ormond Street Hospital Great Ormond Street, London WC1N 3JH 
			 South East Surrey Hampshire Borders NHS Trust Jarvis Centre 60 Stoughton Road Guilford Surrey GUI 1U 
			 South West Royal Hospital for Sick Children St. Michael's Hill Bristol BS2 8BJ 
			 West Midlands Birmingham Heartlands Hospital Department of Paediatrics Bordersley Green East Birmingham B95SS 
			 North West Alder Hey Hospital Eaton Road Liverpool L12 2AP 
			 Yorkshire/Humber University of Leeds Belmont House 35 Belmont Grove Leeds LS2 9DE 
		
	
	
		NHS operated obesity clinics for adults in England
		
			 Region Centre Address/Contact 
		
		
			 North West University Hospital Aintree University Clinical Department Longmoor Lane Liverpool L97AL 
			 Yorkshire/Humber Leeds General Infirmary Great George Street Leeds LSI BEX 
			 West Midlands Birmingham Heartlands Hospital Department of Medicine, Diabetes and Endocrinology Bordersley Green East Birmingham B9 5SS 
			 East Midlands Queens Medical Centre The Clinical Nutrition Unit Nottingham NG2 7HU 
			 London The Royal Hospitals NHS Trust Medical Unit Whitechapel London El 1BB 
			 East of England Luton and Dunstable Hospital Centre for Obesity Research Lewsey Road Luton LU4 ODZ 
			 East of England Addenbrooke's Hospital Hills Road Cambridge CB2 2QQ

Primary Care Trusts (Oxfordshire)

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions there were between her Department and the Thames Valley Strategic Health Authority on putting primary care trust commissioning in Oxfordshire out to tender prior to its announcement.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 9 November 2005
	No discussions were held with Thames Valley Strategic Health Authority (SHA) regarding their proposals prior to their submissions. We wanted SHAs, in partnership with local stakeholders, to identify various options for the reconfiguration of PCTs locally, which would then be assessed by the external panel against the criteria in Commissioning a Patient-led NHS. If the proposals are adjudged to meet these, they will be subject to full public consultation.

Primary Schools

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her Department's policy is on healthy eating in primary schools.

Caroline Flint: The Department encourages both primary and secondary schools to take a whole school approach to healthy eating and drinking and would like to see all schools become healthy schools. A number of initiatives are in place to support primary schools in achieving this.
	The Department is supporting the Department for Education and Skills led work to develop new school food standards. Proposals which set out new nutrient and food based standards for school lunches are currently out for consultation. There is also an intention to extend these standards to cover other food and drink across the school day. The Government are investing 235 million over the next three years to support the transformation in school food130 million for local authorities, 90 million for schools and 15 million for a new school food trust, to provide independent advice and support to schools.
	The national healthy schools programme has been strengthened to include healthy eating and physical activity as core components. 50 per cent. of schools should achieve the new national healthy school status by December 2006, with all schools participating in the programme by 2009.
	The recently launched food in schools toolkit provides resources and guidance to inspire and support schools in developing a range of healthy eating initiatives such as healthier breakfast clubs, vending machines, lunch boxes through to after school cookery and growing clubs. Healthy schools coordinators have been trained on the toolkit, and are now supporting schools through local training events.
	As part of the school fruit and vegetable scheme all four to six-year-old children in local education authority maintained infant, primary and special schools throughout England are now eligible to receive a free piece of fruit or vegetable.

Silicone Ankle Foot Orthoses

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether silicone ankle foot orthoses are available free of charge to sufferers of Charcot Marie Tooth disease; and if she will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Orthoses, including silicone ankle foot orthoses, are provided free of charge to users on the national health service on the basis of assessed clinical need. Patients are encouraged to discuss their orthoses prescription with the orthotist and health care professional team concerned.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcohol Sales

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many alcohol retailers have lost their licences in each of the last five years as a result of selling alcohol to children.

James Purnell: I have been asked to reply.
	These statistics are not held centrally. Licensing statistics are collected from the courts every three years and the last DCMS Statistical Bulletin on liquor licensing in England and Wales covers the period 2003 to 2004. Prior to 2004, these statistics were collated and published by the Home Office. Figures for the number of alcohol licences revoked in the year to 30 June for 2001 and 2004 are available and shown in the table.
	
		
			 Year to 30 June Total on-licensed premises Total off-licensed premises Total on- and off-licensed premises 
		
		
			 2001 132 51 183 
			 2004 273 81 354 
		
	
	No breakdown is available for the reasons why the licensing justices decided to revoke these licences and it is not therefore known what percentage were the result of selling alcohol to children.
	In addition, under the Licensing Act 1964, following a second or subsequent conviction of a justices' licence holder for selling alcohol to children, the convicting court may declare the licence forfeit. There are no centrally held records of the number of licences forfeited for this reason.

Asylum Seekers/Immigration

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many juvenile asylum seekers are being held in (a) reception centres, (b) detention centres and (c) removal centres.

Tony McNulty: The number of children detained with their families under Immigration Act powers will change from day to day. However, internal management information shows that, as at 12 October, there were 53 children detained with their families under Immigration Act powers. These figures are not broken down into asylum and non-asylum cases.
	The Home Office produces a quarterly snapshot of the number of persons held under Immigration Act powers for the last Saturday of each quarter. The number of persons who had claimed asylum at some stage and were under the age of 18 on 25 June 2005, and where they were detained, is shown in the table.
	Information on the total number of persons detained under Immigration Act powers are published on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	
		Asylum seekers under 18 recorded as being in detention in the United Kingdom solely under Immigration Act powers as at 25 June 2005, by place of detention(30)(5508350031)
		
			 Place of detention Total detainees 
		
		
			 Immigration Service removal centres  
			 Yarl's Wood 40 
			 Oakington Reception Centre 30 
			 Immigration short term holding facilities  
			 Manchester airport * 
			 Total 70 
		
	
	(30) Figures rounded to the nearest five, with * = 1 or 2, and exclude persons detained in police cells and those in dual detention.
	(31) Persons detained under Immigration Act powers who are recorded as having sought asylum at some stage.

Asylum Seekers/Immigration

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the quality assurance systems for management of the asylum process, referred to on page 107 of the 2005 departmental report.

Tony McNulty: A comprehensive Decision Quality Action Plan is in place to address identified needs for improvement in the quality of initial asylum decisions. Additionally, we are working closely with the UNHCR, through the Quality Initiative Project, to further improve the decision-making processes. Information on the quality of initial asylum decisions is published annually. Information relating to asylum decisions in 2004 was published in the annual bulletin Asylum Statistics 2004. Copies are available from the Library of the House and on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Asylum Seekers/Immigration

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of asylum applications are being considered through fast-track detained processes.

Tony McNulty: Information on the percentage of asylum claims being considered through fast-track detained processes is not currently available. However, the maximum capacity of the detained fast track is approximately 988 a month.
	Information on cases accepted at Oakington Reception Centre and Harmondsworth Fast Track are published quarterly and annually. Copies of which are available from the Library of the House and on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Asylum Seekers/Immigration

James McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many dawn raids have been undertaken in asylum cases in Scotland in each of the last four years.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 3 November 2005
	Records relating to the number of enforcement visits conducted are only readily available since 1 April 2005.
	Between 1 April 2005 and 30 September 2005 records show that 112 enforcement home visits were conducted in Scotland. The vast majority of these relate to failed asylum seekers. The times when the actual visits conducted will occur after the teams have commenced their duties and this will vary from operation to operation.
	Enforcement operations are intelligence led. The time at which they are conducted is decided on a case by case basis and is designed to give maximum opportunity of locating the individual.

Asylum Seekers/Immigration

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of people who have settled permanently (a) legally and (b) illegally in the UK in each year since 1980.

Tony McNulty: Statistics on persons granted settlement in the United Kingdom since 1960 was published in Table 5.6 of the annual Command Paper Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2003. Copies are available from the Library of the House and on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	The 2004 edition is due to be published on 22 November 2005.
	No government has ever been able to produce an accurate figure for the number of people who settle in the UK illegally, during the course of a year.

Asylum Seekers/Immigration

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the level of working by illegal immigrants in the Kettering constituency.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 14 October 2005
	Information on the numbers or level of illegal migrants working in the Kettering area is not available. It is not possible to collect data on illegal migrants as by their very nature they remain hidden.

Asylum Seekers/Immigration

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many employers have been prosecuted for employing illegal immigrants in each year since 1997.

Charles Clarke: Information on the number of persons proceeded against under section 8 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1996 for employing a person subject to immigration control is published annually in the Control of Immigration Command Paper. The 2004 Command Paper, which will contain the number of persons proceeded against in 2004 will be published on 22 November.
	The published statistics are available on the Home Office's Research Development and Statistics website:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

China

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ensure that peaceful protests on human rights abuses in China are allowed during the state visit of the President of China; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Clarke: holding answer 25 October 2005
	The policing of the state visit of the President of China is operational matter for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. He tells me that it is the intention of the Metropolitan police to facilitate lawful assembly and legitimate protest during the visit.

Correspondence

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many letters to his Department from hon. Members in session (a) 200405 and (b) 200506 remain unanswered, broken down by those which are (i) one month old, (ii) two months old, (iii) three months old, (iv) four months old and (v) over six months old.

Charles Clarke: No centrally tracked correspondence from MPs received by the Home Office in 2004 or earlier remains outstanding. In the period 1 January to 30 September 2005 the Home Office (including the Immigration and Nationality Directorate but excluding agencies) had received 37,348 items of correspondence from MPs which required a reply from the Home Office and as at 19 October 2,487 (7 per cent.) are overdue and remain outstanding as follows:
	391 letters received in September (one month old); 619 letters received in August (two months old); 841 letters received in July (three month old); 614 letters received in June (four months old) ; 21 letters received in May (five months old); one letter received in April or earlier (six months or older).The remainder of the letters received in 2005 are less than one month old. The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of departments in replying to Members/Peers correspondence. The Report for 2004 was published on 6 April 2005, Official Report, columns 137140WS).

Court Orders

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons in Greater London have been issued with a detention and training order in each of the last five years; and how many 12 to 17-year-olds have breached antisocial behaviour orders in Greater London in each year.

Hazel Blears: The information on detention and training orders in each of the last five years for Greater London is shown in the table.
	Data on convictions for breach of an antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) are currently available from 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2003 and for juvenile and adult age groups only. Within Greater London during this period, of the 53 ASBOs issued to persons aged 10 to 17 years, as reported to the Home Office, 11 breached their ASBO on one or more occasion.
	
		Persons sentenced to detention and training orders (DTOs) in Greater London(32) 200004
		
			  Number sentenced to DTOs 
		
		
			 2000 738 
			 2001 980 
			 2002 1,023 
			 2003 759 
			 2004 794 
		
	
	(32) The data shown for Greater London is made up from the two police force areas of Metropolitan police and City of London.
	Source:
	RDS NOMS 8/11/2005

Crimestoppers

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of the Crimestoppers scheme has been in each year since its inception.

Paul Goggins: The Crimestoppers Trust is an independent charitable organisation and its general financial position is a matter for its trustees and senior management. Since its inception in 1988 it has been funded by private donors and business. The Government have contributed core funding since 2001, as set out in the table:
	
		
			  Amount () 
		
		
			 200102 341,000 
			 200203 826,000 
			 200304 846,000 
			 200405 846,000 
			 200506 900,000

Departmental Staff

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the rates of employee absence in his Department have been in each year since 1997.

Charles Clarke: I refer the hon. Member to the figures contained in the annual report Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service published by the Cabinet Office. Table A of the report gives details of both the average working days absence per staff year and the number of staff years on which that calculation is based on. The most recent report for the calendar year 2003 was published on 1 November 2004, copies of which are available in the Library. This report and those for 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002 are available on the Cabinet Office website at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_of_the_civil_service/conditions_of_service/occupational_health/publications/index.asp

Departmental Consultation

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list formal consultations being sponsored by his Department and its agencies; and what the (a) commencement date and (b) deadline for responses is in each case.

Charles Clarke: Updated information on Home Office formal consultation may be found on the Home Office website:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/haveyoursay/
	As at 31st October, the information was as follows:
	
		
			  Publication date Closing date for responses 
		
		
			 Restructuring Probation to Reduce Re-offending 27 October 2005 20 December 2005 
			
			 Preventing Extremism Together: Places of Worship 6 October 2005 11 November 2005 
			
			 Consultation on Standard Powers for Community Support Officers 31 August 2005 26 October 2005 
			
			 Possession of Extreme Pornographic material 30 August 2005 2 December 2005 
			
			 Private Security Industry Act 2001:Approved Contractor SchemePartial RIA 25 August 2005  
			
			 Cross Government GuidanceSharing Information on Children and Young People 23 August 2005 15 November 2005 
			
			 Consultation on European Commission proposal for a Council Framework Decision on taking account of convictions in the course of new criminal proceedings 17 August 2005 17 November 2005 
			
			 Non-statutory consultation on broadening exclusion and deportation powers 5 August 2005 19 August 2005 
			
			 Proposed Changes to the Misuse of Drugs Legislation 28 July 2005 21 October 2005 
			
			 Selective Admission: Making Migration Work for Britain 19 July 2005 7 November 2005

Departmental Vehicles

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vehicles for which the Department is responsible are fitted with retreaded tyres.

Charles Clarke: For information on the use of retread tyres in vehicles provided to the Department by the Government Car and Despatch Agency I refer the hon. Member to the letter of 11 October 2005 which he received from the Chief Executive of the GCDA, reference UIN15087  UIN15088. Copies of this letter are available in the Library.

Departmental Energy Consumption

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much energy has been consumed by his Department in each of the last five years; and how much was spent on energy in each year.

Charles Clarke: The tables show consumption data and expenditure on energy for the years 200001 to 200405.
	
		Energy Costs
		
			  
			  Home Office (non prisons)(33) Public sector prisons Total 
		
		
			 200001 2,853,523 23,778,727 26,632,250 
			 200102 3,499,541 27,234,995 30,734,536 
			 200203 3,446,772 28,745,834 32,192,606 
			 200304 3,540,139 32,579,862 36,120,001 
			 200405 4,469,782 34,462,450 38,932,232 
		
	
	
		Energy consumption (weather corrected kWh)
		
			  Home Office (non prisons)(33) Public sector prisons Total 
		
		
			 200001 102,714,825 1,362,678,852 ,465,393,677 
			 200102 127,394,562 1,369,096,678 11,496,491,240 
			 200203 92,893,512 1,541,275,375 1,634,168,887 
			 200304 100,125,828 1,358,398,490 1,458,524,318 
			 200405 104,814,403 1,413,544,834 1,518,359,237 
		
	
	(33) These figures relate to key buildings only and the total number of properties varies from year to year.

Detention

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by whom he was advised that the proposals for detention without charge for 90 days would be compliant with the European convention on human rights.

Charles Clarke: It has been a long standing convention that Governments do not disclose the legal advice that they have received.

Driving Prosecutions

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drivers were prosecuted for driving without insurance in each police authority area in each year since 1997.

Paul Goggins: Available data taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database for the offence of using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks, 1997 to 2003 (latest available) is given in the table. Data for 2004 will not be available until early in 2006.
	
		Proceedings at magistrates courts for the offence of using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks(34),England and Wales 1997 to 2003
		
			 Number of offences 
			 Police force area 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 15,354 16,892 15,098 14,609 13,022 15,124 17,163 
			 Bedfordshire 4,724 4,449 3,479 3,594 4,651 4,731 5,041 
			 Cambridgeshire 3,440 3,425 3,058 2,929 2,508 2,875 3,301 
			 Cheshire 4,838 4,961 5,463 5,729 4,975 5,765 6,385 
			 Cleveland 3,925 4,204 4,331 4,793 4,789 5,994 5,575 
			 Cumbria 4,223 3,787 3,597 3,507 3,595 3,540 3,488 
			 Derbyshire 5,565 5,137 5,120 5,318 5,429 5,614 5,793 
			 Devon and Cornwall 8,422 7,232 7,493 9,234 8,648 9,598 9,676 
			 Dorset 5,271 4,198 4,776 6,035 5,262 6,176 7,034 
			 Durham 3,992 4,261 5,899 5,470 5,394 5,840 5,802 
			 Essex 7,161 7,025 7,336 7,898 7,708 7,811 7,489 
			 Gloucestershire 3,577 4,465 4,443 4,174 4,683 4,417 4,412 
			 Greater Manchester 30,655 30,836 33,228 33,783 37,088 36,337 38,208 
			 Hampshire 11,768 11,557 11,553 10,559 10,349 10,912 10,619 
			 Hertfordshire 4,580 5,799 4,748 5,258 5,816 6,612 7,216 
			 Humberside 4,408 4,279 4,894 5,024 4,730 4,464 5,509 
			 Kent 6,935 6,958 6,151 9,033 9,592 10,059 9,788 
			 Lancashire 20,334 18,794 18,111 18,354 16,280 17,555 21,229 
			 Leicestershire 9,706 9,481 11,054 10,263 10,475 10,699 11,304 
			 Lincolnshire 4,589 5,000 5,345 4,500 4,083 4,242 5,883 
			 London, City of 2,671 3,127 2,521 1,738 1,826 2,353 2,563 
			 Merseyside 10,896 9,747 8,932 10,054 9,467 10,360 12,776 
			 Metropolitan Police 42,283 35,064 31,285 29,649 32,032 36,485 43,100 
			 Norfolk 3,932 3,434 3,468 3,951 4,744 5,563 6,322 
			 Northamptonshire 4,999 4,849 5,571 3,926 2,028 1,211 4,157 
			 Northumbria 12,470 11,837 13,296 13,195 12,504 12, 309 12,951 
			 North Yorkshire 3,926 3,744 4,003 3,905 3,545 3,340 3,774 
			 Nottinghamshire 8,078 8,726 7,957 7,748 7,856 7,460 9,224 
			 South Yorkshire 11,228 11,553 11,763 12,690 14,623 13,859 13,745 
			 Staffordshire 8,180 8,210 8,021 8,777 6,027 7,056 7,214 
			 Suffolk 3,258 3,743 4,189 3,923 4,123 4,759 5,808 
			 Surrey 4,942 3,908 4,436 4,941 5,101 5,554 4,657 
			 Sussex 9,333 8,202 7,415 6,796 6,814 6,413 5,808 
			 Thames Valley 11,887 11,948 13,543 12,816 11,728 12,842 14,516 
			 Warwickshire 4,316 3,769 3,523 4,135 4,204 3,711 3,756 
			 West Mercia 7,082 8,207 7,450 7,686 7,787 7,849 7,735 
			 West Midlands 29,878 30,928 27,409 28,148 27,010 32,339 36,409 
			 West Yorkshire 23,980 23,549 25,776 26,529 27,618 24,873 26,966 
			 Wiltshire 3,463 4,820 4,708 4,901 5,292 5,326 4,794 
			 Dyfed-Powys 3,079 2,852 3,017 3,072 2,953 3,316 3,094 
			 Gwent 4,097 4,478 4,451 4,680 4,758 4,508 4,083 
			 North Wales 4,859 4,452 4,102 3,697 3,376 4,048 5,968 
			 South Wales 14,829 16,187 15,406 14,615 13,805 16,499 16,932 
			 
			 England and Wales 397,133 390,074 387,419 391,659 388,298 410,398 447,267 
		
	
	(34) An offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s. 143 (2)

Driving Prosecutions

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were prosecuted for (a) driving while uninsured, (b) driving while banned and (c) driving without having passed a test in the Humberside police area in each of the past five years.

Paul Goggins: The available information taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database on prosecutions for the specific offences of, using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks, driving while disqualified and driving or causing or permitting another person to drive other than in accordance with a licence within the Humberside police force area 1999 to 2003 (latest available) is given in the table. 2004 data will not be available until early in 2006.
	
		Proceedings at magistrates courts for specific motoring offences1 within Humberside police force area, 1999 to 2003
		
			 Number of defendants 
			 Offence type 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 (a) Using motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks [RTA88 s. 143 (2)] 4,894 5,024 4,730 4,464 5,509 
			 (b) Driving whilst disqualified from holding or obtaining a licence [RTA88 s. 103 (1)] 895 888 783 888 1,195 
			 (c) Driving or causing or permitting another person to drive other than in accordance with a licence (full or provisional) [RTA88 s. 87 (1) and (2) as amended] 2,779 3,040 3,082 2,984 3,567 
		
	
	(35) Covers offences under legislation pertaining to the involvement of a motor vehicle (i.e. mechanically propelled vehicle intended or adapted for use on roads, and includes motor cycles, motor scooters, mechanically propelled invalid carriages, road rollers and tractors).

E-borders

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to have fully implemented e-borders in (a) seaports and (b) airports.

Charles Clarke: e-Borders capabilities began to roll out to selected air routes through Project Semaphore in December 2004. They will roll out incrementally to major air sea and rail ports to ensure complete coverage of international services in and out of the UK by 2010.
	The remaining small air and sea ports will be covered in the last stage of the programme from 201014. Full coverage of all ports will be achieved by March 2014.

Fixed Penalty Fines

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of fixed penalty fines issued by the police were unpaid in the Tendring district in the most recent 12 month period for which data are available.

Hazel Blears: It is not possible to identify the number of fixed penalty notices which were unpaid in the Tendring district as figures are not collected at this level of detail.

Literacy and Numeracy

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to promote uptake of the national tests in adult literacy and numeracy among employees of his Department.

Charles Clarke: The Department offers a wide range of job related training which includes both literacy and numeracy skills development relevant to staff jobs.
	Staff in the main Home Office have access to a range of 'Key skills for work courses' which embed literacy and numeracy skills to at least level 2 national standard.
	Immigration and Nationality Directorate have offered basic skills courses for some time as part of its ongoing programme of development offered to all staff.
	Prison Service staff are encouraged to use either a Prison Officer Association (POA) or HMPS learning centre, or a local provider, to address any developmental needs arising from a formal assessment, including, when appropriate, the promotion of the national tests in adult literacy and numeracy.

Literacy and Numeracy

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many employees in his Department requested training to improve their (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills in each year since 2002;
	(2)  what training in (a) literacy and (b) numeracy is offered to employees of his Department.

Charles Clarke: The Departments internal training providers IND College and the Centre for Learning and Development keep records of attendees on their courses but do not keep central records of training arranged locally through external providers.
	The Department seeks to embed literacy and numeracy as part of the job related development opportunities available to staff. It is therefore difficult to assess all staff development offered that embed literacy and numeracy skills but details of the numbers of staff who have attended training for 2002 to 2004 are in the following table.
	
		Table 1: Applications for internal provision of literacy development opportunities
		
			   Number of applications 
			  Course type 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 IND Back to Basics(36) 150 108 72 
			 Non-IND, Non-Agency Key Skills for Work-  courses(36) 136 129 82 
		
	
	(36) These courses have a core literacy element.

Literacy and Numeracy

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of new recruits to his Department do not have a level 2 qualification in English and mathematics.

Charles Clarke: The Home Office does not maintain a central record of staff qualifications. The information required therefore could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Literacy and Numeracy

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what methods of assessment of (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills are used as part of the recruitment process by employees of his Department.

Charles Clarke: In accordance with Cabinet Office guidance, the Home Office uses a variety of methods to assess an applicant's literacy and numeracy skills during the recruitment process. These include competency based application forms, the use of specific tests of ability, aptitude or potential and assessment centres for staff entering the service at Higher Executive Officer (HEO) and grade 7 level. For both of our assessment centres, candidates are presented with materials in written form and this provides a substantial test of literacy skills. Certain of the exercises we also use include numerical material.

London Bombings

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been arrested in connection with the 7 July attacks; how many were (a) detained for between seven and 14 days, (b) charged and (c) released without charge in each case, broken down by (i) age, (ii) sex, (iii) ethnicity and (iv) religion.

Charles Clarke: In the period immediately following the London attacks on 7 July 2005, five males were arrested. One aged 29 was released after 10 days. Four aged 26, 27, 31 and 41 were released in less than seven days. None were charged.
	At a later date, a sixth male, aged 26, was arrested in connection with the ongoing investigation. He was charged with wasting police time.
	The Home Office does not have information on the individuals' ethnicity and religion.

Management Consultants

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the consultants employed by his Department in each of the last three years.

Charles Clarke: Information on individual consultants employed by the Department is not held centrally and to obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost.
	The Department awards contracts in open competition according to the EU Procurement Regulations based on best value for money. The use of external consultants in the Home Office provides the Department with specialist knowledge, skill, capacity and technical expertise that is not otherwise available in-house.

Ministerial Travel

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many air miles were accrued through departmental ministerial travel in 200405, broken down by Minister; how many were (a) foregone and (b) donated to charity, broken down by charity; and whether air miles accrued by officials were required to be (i) foregone and (ii) given to charity.

Charles Clarke: No Ministers accrued air miles through ministerial travel. Ministerial travel is conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers. Guidance for Ministers on the use of Air Miles is set out in the Ministerial Code. The guidance makes clear that Air Miles should be used only for official purposes or else foregone.
	However, if it is impracticable to use the benefits for Government travel, there is no objection to Ministers donating them to charity if this is permissible under the terms of the airline's scheme and the charity is one chosen by the airline.

Neighbourhood Policing

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to promote neighbourhood policing; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The Government are committed to every area in England and Wales benefiting from dedicated, visible, accessible and responsive neighbourhood policing teams by 2008. A key aim of these teams will be to build more effective engagement with the public, and for the public to know who their local police officer is and how to contact them.
	The Government are working closely with the Police Service to develop neighbourhood policing, initially within 43 pathfinder areasone per force in England and Wales. The Neighbourhood Policing Fund will support the recruitment of Community Support Officerswe expect their numbers to reach 24,000 by 2008. To support this the Home Office and the Association of Police Authorities convened the National Practitioner Panel for Community Engagement in Policing.
	The panel has created a Guide to Community Engagement which is a resource for all policing practitioners.

Neighbourhood Policing

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he has taken in 2005 to support the spread of dedicated neighbourhood policing teams.

Hazel Blears: The Government have been working closely with a police-led neighbourhood policing programme team to implement neighbourhood policing in every area in England and Wales by 2008. Initially there will be a pathfinder basic command unit in each of the 43 police forces in England and Wales. The 465 million Neighbourhood Policing Fund has been set up to help provide for up to 24,000 CSOs by 2008. In addition, a full evaluation of the neighbourhood policing programme has been designed and is underway.
	Following the report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary on improving protective services, I have also asked police forces and police authorities to develop options for restructuring forces and to submit their final reports, including their final options, to the Home Office by 23 December 2005. Larger, more strategic forces will support neighbourhood policing as they will have the resilience to prevent the abstraction of neighbourhood policing teams to major incidents. To support neighbourhood policing further, the Home Office and the Association of Police Authorities convened the National Practitioner Panel for Community Engagement in Policing. The panel has created a Guide to Community Engagement which is a resource for all policing practitioners.

Non-departmental Public Bodies

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department have a statutory base; which (a) publish their advice to Government, (b) publish an annual report and (c) lay an annual report before Parliament; and whether it is a statutory requirement in each case.

Charles Clarke: The information requested is given in the table.
	
		
			 Name of Advisory NDPB (a) statutory base on which to publish their advice to Government and whether it is a statutory requirement b) statutory base to publish an annual report and whether it is a statutory requirement (c) statutory base to lay an annual report before Parliament and whether it is a statutory requirement 
		
		
			 Advisory Board on Naturalisation and Integration No No Yes No No No 
			 Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs Yes No Yes No No No 
			 Advisory Panel on Country Information Yes No No No No No 
			 Animal Procedures Committee No No Yes Yes Yes Yes 
			 Correctional Services Accreditation Panel No No No No No No 
			 Futurebuilders Advisory Panel No No No No No No 
			 Immigration  Nationality Directorate Complaint Audit Committee No No No No No No 
			 National Victims Advisory Panel No No Yes Yes Yes Yes 
			 Police Advisory Board for England  Wales No No Yes No No No 
			 Police Negotiating Board No No Yes No No No 
			 Prison Service Pay Review Body for England  Wales Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 
			 Sentencing Advisory Panel No No NoJoint Annual Report with Sentencing Guide Council NoJoint Annual Report with Sentencing Guide. Council NoJoint Annual Report with Sentencing Guide Council NoJoint Annual Report with Sentencing Guide Council 
			 Sentencing Guidelines Council Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes 
			 Technical Advisory Body for the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 No No Yes No No No

Offensive Weapons

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been (a) fined or (b) imprisoned for (i) illegally selling knives to under 16-year-olds and (ii) marketing a bladed product in a manner which (A) indicates that it is suitable for combat and (B) likely to promote the simulation of violent behaviour since the Knives Act 1997.

Fiona Mactaggart: The information available is shown in the table.
	
		Defendants sentenced to fines and imprisonment for offences under the Knives Act 1997 (England and Wales)
		
			   1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Unlawful marketing of knives (selling or hiring)(37) Sentenced 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 
			  Fine 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 
			  Immediate custody 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			   
			 Unlawful marketing of knives (offering or exposing to sell or hire)(37) Sentenced 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			  Fine 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			  Immediate custody 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			   
			 Unlawful marketing of kniveshaving in possession for the purpose of sale or hire(37) Sentenced 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 
			  Fine 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  Immediate custody 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			   
			 Publication of any written pictorial or other material in connection with the marketing of any knifethe material suggesting/indicating knife suitable for combat September 1997(37) Sentenced 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  Fine 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  Immediate custody 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			   
			 Publication of any written pictorial or other material in connection with the marketing of any knifethe material is otherwise likely to stimulate or encourage violent behaviour involving use of the knife as a weapon(37) Sentenced 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  Fine 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  Immediate custody 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			   
			 Selling a knife etc. to a person under 16 years(38) Sentenced 2 2 2 0 8 10 17 9 
			  Fine 1 2 1 0 8 10 14 6 
			  Immediate custody 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	(37) These sections of the Act came into force in September 1997.
	(38) This offence is not included in the Knives Act 1997. It is covered by the Offensive Weapons Act 1996 s. 6.
	Source:
	RDS-NOMS 7 November 2005

Offensive Weapons

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many knives designed for use in hunting and leisure pursuits have been used in violent crimes since the coming into force of the Knives Act 1997.

Hazel Blears: The types of weapon used in violent crime cannot be separately identified on the Home Office Court Proceedings Database.

Party Conferences

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on publicly-funded security measures in the current year's (a) Labour party conference, (b) Conservative party conference and (c) Liberal Democrat party conference.

Charles Clarke: I have approved special police grants of up to 3.692 million for Sussex police and up to 1.4 million for Lancashire constabulary, as a contribution to the additional costs incurred in policing this year's Labour party and Conservative party conferences.
	Any other security costs incurred cannot be disclosed in line with the standard policy not to release these.

Passports

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what compensation is available to foreign nationals whose passports or identity cards have been lost by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Where the Immigration and Nationality Directorate has lost passports or other valuable documents belonging to applicants, we will offer an ex-gratia payment for the cost of replacing the documents and any additional costs associated with their replacement or arising from the loss of the documents. We would also consider whether it was appropriate to offer a consolatory payment for any distress or inconvenience caused by the loss of the documents.

Police

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police (a) handguns and (b) rifles went missing in the UK during the last year for which figures are available; and how many were recovered in the same period.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 7 November 2005
	This information is not collected centrally.

Police

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many IT systems for recording and collating information are deployed by police forces in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The Home Department together with the Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO) and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) as part of the Police Science and Technology Strategy have developed a Police Technology Database (PTD) to allow for the sharing of information on IT projects and programmes across the criminal justice community. Presently PITO have developed and provided at least 10 national IT systems for recording and collating information to police forces in England and Wales.
	Decisions relating to the development and deployment of IT systems for recording and collating information are based on local operational needs of the individual forces.

Police

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on advertising for the recruitment of police officers for each of the last 10 years.

Hazel Blears: Home Office spend on police recruitment advertising including regulars and special constables for each of the last 10 years (there was no spend in 199596) is as follows.
	
		
		
			  Spend 
		
		
			 199697 1,765,748 
			 199798 370, 049 
			 199899 315,261 
			 19992000 845,771 
			 200001 6,020,844 
			 200102 5,917,686 
			 200203 4,360,476 
			 200304 4,169,590 
			 200405 1,885,559

Police Employees (Muslim Women)

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Muslim women are employed by police forces in England as (a) police officers and (b) civilian employees.

Hazel Blears: This information is not collected centrally.

Prisons

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to tackle the incidence of escapes from Springhill prison.

Fiona Mactaggart: Given that there is no physical security to prevent prisoners leaving Springhill, prisoners abscond rather than escape from the open estate. In the last three years the trend for absconds from Springhill has reduced significantly. During 200304, 64 prisoners absconded, during 200405 42 prisoners absconded and so far this year 28 prisoners have absconded.
	During the last two years, management at Springhill has taken a number of measures to seek to reduce absconds. For instance, all prisoners are seen on induction by a governor who warns them about the implications of absconding. In addition, a protocol has been introduced with Thames Valley Police to prosecute through the courts all prisoners who abscond. Moreover, significant improvements have been made to the regime with the opening of a job club and two vocational learning centres offering industrial based qualifications in computing and bricklaying. Vocational qualifications have been introduced in catering and horticulture.

Prisons

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received regarding the granting of open conditions to unsuitable prisoners.

Fiona Mactaggart: There are approximately 5,000 prisoners held in open conditions or resettlement prisons where a significant number of prisoners spend time outside the prison. To establish what representations there have been would therefore involve disproportionate cost. Prisoners are moved to open conditions only after a rigorous risk assessment, which determines whether a prisoner is suitable for open conditions.

Private Members' Bills

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what occasions since 1997 Ministers from his Department (a) authorised parliamentary counsel to assist in preparing amendments to private Members' Bills on behalf of other private Members and (b) authorised officials to instruct parliamentary counsel to prepare amendments which were subsequently passed to private Members.

Charles Clarke: The information requested is not collected.

Road Safety

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unpaid speeding fines in Hertfordshire are owed by people who are not British citizens.

Paul Goggins: Information is not collected centrally on the nationality of offenders who are given speeding fines.

Road Safety

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many road safety violations by (a) domestic and (b) non-domestic heavy goods vehicles in England and Wales were recorded by the police in (i) 2002, (ii) 2003 and (iii) 2004.

Paul Goggins: Information collected by my Department on motoring offences recorded by the police does not distinguish between the characteristics of the vehicles involved.

Sex Offenders

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what punishments are available for serious sex offenders.

Paul Goggins: The punishments available for serious sexual offences are set out in the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
	They include the possibility of life imprisonment for the offences of rape, rape of a child under 13 and assault by penetration; up to 14 years imprisonment for sexual activity with a child and trafficking for sexual exploitation; and up to 10 years for meeting a child following sexual grooming and engaging in sexual activity in the presence of a child.
	The Act can be accessed through www.ospi.gov.uk/acts/acts2003/20030042.htm

Sex Offenders

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sex offenders have been in prison in each year since 1997.

Fiona Mactaggart: The requested information for England and Wales is given in the following table, as recorded on the Prison Service IT system.
	
		Population of sex offenders in prison establishments by type of custody and year England and Wales 30 June
		
			  Remand Immediate custodial sentence 
		
		
			 1997 629 4,077 
			 1998 761 4,795 
			 1999 702 4,946 
			 2000 588 5,090 
			 2001 492 5,107 
			 2002 590 5,294 
			 2003 559 5,540 
			 2004 623 5,773

Terrorism

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the people held for more than seven days under Schedule 8 to the Terrorism Act 2000 were arrested for activity related to terrorism in Northern Ireland.

Charles Clarke: Police records show that since 20 January 2004, when the maximum period available to police to detain suspects without charge under the Terrorism Act 2000 was increased from seven to 14 days, 25 persons have been detained in Great Britain for periods between seven and 14 days. I can confirm that none of these were for activity related to terrorism in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Office has confirmed that the same question has been asked to them and they will reply regarding arrests there.

Terrorism

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library the opinion he received from the Attorney General on whether the 90-day detention provisions of the Terrorism Bill are compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Charles Clarke: holding answer 7 November 2005
	It has been a longstanding convention over many Governments that the fact that the Law Officers have or have not advised on any matter and the content of their advice should not be disclosed.

Terrorism

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the number of criminal prosecutions that have resulted from arrests made under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

Charles Clarke: The latest figures requested are published on the Home Office website: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/security/terrorism-and-the-law/terrorism-act/
	These statistics have been supplied by the police. They are compiled from recent police records and are therefore subject to adjustment as cases go through the system.
	Many terrorist offences are outside the scope of the Terrorism Act. Offences such as murder, grievous bodily harm, use of firearms or explosives are covered by general criminal law. A simplistic quote from the Terrorism Act statistics is therefore not the best way to evaluate the success of the police and the security services.

Terrorism

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research his Department undertook on the nature of activities which constitute glorifying, exalting or celebrating the instigation of acts of terrorism in drawing up the draft Terrorism Bill.

Charles Clarke: The Terrorism Bill which was introduced on 12 October, makes it clear that the offence of glorification of terrorism is only committed if a person making a statement believes, or has reasonable grounds for believing that the statement in question will be seen by those to whom it is made as a direct or indirect inducement to commit acts of terrorism.

Terrorism

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the advice he has received from the Attorney General regarding the legality of the Government's proposed anti-terrorism legislation.

Charles Clarke: It has been the practice of successive Governments not to disclose the content of Law Officer advice or whether or not such advice exists.

Visas

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of applications for indefinite leave to remain under the ancestral visa scheme has been successful in each of the last five years, broken down by Commonwealth country of origin.

Tony McNulty: Information on the number of decisions made on UK ancestry indefinite leave to remain applications is only available since 2003. The number of decisions made since 2003 and the total number of applicants granted settlement is given in the accompanying table.
	
		Decisions on UK ancestry(39) applications for settlement, by nationality, excluding dependants, 200004(40)United Kingdom
		
			  Number of decisions Total granted 
			 Geographical region and nationality 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 All nationalities (41) (41) (41) 5,295 4,815 2,580 3,255 4,060 5,275 4,755 
			
			 Australia (41) (41) (41) 1,220 1,090 730 905 1,010 1,215 1,080 
			 Bangladesh (41) (41) (41) (42) 5 5 (42)  (42) (42) 
			 Canada (41) (41) (41) 255 240 175 220 220 255 240 
			 Ghana (41) (41) (41) 5 5 (42) 5 5 5 5 
			 India (41) (41) (41) 55 30 30 25 25 55 30 
			 Kenya (41) (41) (41) 5 15 5 5 5 5 5 
			 Malaysia (41) (41) (41) 5 (42) 5 (42)  5 (42) 
			 New Zealand (41) (41) (41) 1,390 1,160 765 980 1,195 1,390 1,150 
			 Nigeria (41) (41) (41) 5 5 5 5 10 5 5 
			 Pakistan (41) (41) (41) 5 (42) 5 5 5 5 (42) 
			 South Africa (41) (41) (41) 1,995 1,910 680 950 1,360 1,985 1,895 
			 Sri Lanka (41) (41) (41) 5 5 5  (42) 5 (42) 
			 Uganda (41) (41) (41) 5 (42) (42) (42) (42) 5 (42) 
			 Zambia (41) (41) (41) 5 5 25 15 15 5 5 
			 Zimbabwe (41) (41) (41) 305 310 65 90 170 305 305 
			 Other nationalities (41) (41) (41) 40 35 80 45 35 35 35 
			 Total (41) (41) (41) 5,295 4,815 2,580 3,255 4,060 5,275 4,755 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage granted 
			 Geographical region and nationality 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 All nationalities (41) (41) (41) 100 99 
			   
			 Australia (41) (41) (41) 100 99 
			 Bangladesh (41) (41) (41) 100 33 
			 Canada (41) (41) (41) 100 99 
			 Ghana (41) (41) (41) 75 75 
			 India (41) (41) (41) 100 100 
			 Kenya (41) (41) (41) 100 57 
			 Malaysia (41) (41) (41) 100 100 
			 New Zealand (41) (41) (41) 100 99 
			 Nigeria (41) (41) (41) 86 100 
			 Pakistan (41) (41) (41) 80 100 
			 South Africa (41) (41) (41) 100 99 
			 Sri Lanka (41) (41) (41) 100 67 
			 Uganda (41) (41) (41) 100 100 
			 Zambia (41) (41) (41) 100 100 
			 Zimbabwe (41) (41) (41) 100 98 
			 Other nationalities (41) (41) (41) 90 100 
			 Total (41) (41) (41) 100 99 
		
	
	(39) Commonwealth citizens with a United Kingdom-born grandparent, taking or seeking employment.
	(40) Provisional
	(41) Not available
	(42) Negligible
	Note: Data rounded to the nearest 5.

Work Permits

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits have been issued in each of the last eight years.

Charles Clarke: The number of work permits issued by Work Permits (UK) in each of the last eight years is displayed in the table. These figures exclude approvals of extension and change of employment applications for existing permit holders.
	
		
			  Total 
		
		
			 1997 31,734 
			 1998 37,564 
			 1999 41,965 
			 2000 64,570 
			 2001 85,144 
			 2002 88,622 
			 2003 93,021 
			 2004 105,205 
			 Total 547,825

Worker Registration Scheme

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people have come to the UK under the Worker Registration Scheme;
	(2)  if he will list employment sectors in which successful applicants under the Worker Registration Scheme are employed.

Tony McNulty: On 1 May 2004 the Government set up the Worker Registration Scheme (WRS) to regulate Accession eight nationals' access to the labour market and to restrict access to benefits.
	The Government committed to publish data from the Worker Registration Scheme (WRS) on a quarterly basis. The latest quarterly statistics for the period 1 May 2004 to 30 June 2005 were published on 23 August 2005. The report includes the number of people registering on the WRS and gives details of the employment sectors in which Accession nationals are registered.
	A copy of the report is available on the IND website: http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/ind/en/home/0/reports/accession_monitoring.html

Youth Justice Board

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the study undertaken by the Youth Justice Board with the courts to explore the factors that influence sentences.

Harriet Harman: I have been asked to reply.
	The Youth Justice Board has commissioned research which seeks to identify:
	(a) best practice by Youth Offending Teams in the provision of pre-sentence reports to judges and magistrates when young people under 18 are sentenced;
	(b) the factors influencing custodial or community sentences being given, especially in cases which are on the cusp of custody; and to
	(c) understand any regional differences in sentencing in cases which appear similar.
	The research is being undertaken by the Policy Research Bureau working with MACRO. It is taking place in 16 Youth Offending Team areas and includes interviews with magistrates and judges in those areas. It is similar in nature to earlier research undertaken in the adult criminal courts by Professor Mike Hough, Dr. Andrew Millie and Dr. Jessica Jacobson. Their findings were published in the report The Decision to Imprison, Sentencing and the Prison Population in 2003 by the Prison Reform Trust. It also supports a three year longitudinal study being undertaken by RDS section of the Home Office, using court records to explore the factors influencing sentencing decisions within both adult and youth courts. This study will be tracked to examine the relationship between offender characteristics, sentence content and outcome.
	It is expected that the Youth Justice Board will publish the findings of the current research in the autumn of 2006.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Agency Staff

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many agency staff are employed by her Department; and what the cost of employing them was in the last year for which figures are available.

Bridget Prentice: The Department has a national contract for the provision of agency workers. Information regarding the number of agency workers provided to the Department under this contract and the associated expenditure is provided as follows.
	Average number of agency workers for the financial year 200405 was 395.
	Expenditure for employing agency workers for the financial year 200405 was 8,688,141.
	Information relating to workers employed through other agencies is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Ballot Papers

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2005, Official Report, column 1165W, on ballot paper descriptions, whether (a) the five descriptions will allow a generic locality description to be registered permitting a candidate to use a description comprising constituency name and party name in each constituency and (b) only a specific named locality may be registered.

Harriet Harman: Further to my answer of 2 November, under clause 47 of the Electoral Administration Bill registered political parties would be permitted to register up to five descriptions with the Electoral Commission. There is no provision for a generic locality description. It would be for the party to decide whether they wished to register a description including a specific named locality.

Ballot Papers

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2005, Official Report, column 1165W, on ballot paper descriptions, for what reasons the number of descriptions is limited to five.

Harriet Harman: Clause 47 of the Electoral Reform Bill provides for there to be up to five alternative party descriptions registered with the Electoral Commission. This implements the Electoral Commission's recommendation in Standing for election in the United Kingdom, published in June 2003. It would allow one description each for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the United Kingdom as a whole and would simplify the use of party descriptions for the benefit of candidates and returning officers.

Bills (Supporters)

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will list right hon. and hon. Members who (a) presented and (b) supported the Bills for the (i) Representation of the People Act 2000, (ii) Registration of Political Parties Act 1998, (iii) Political Parties Elections and Referendums Act 2000, (iv) Elections Act 2001 and (v) Election Publications Act 2001.

Harriet Harman: The information requested is as follows:
	(i) Representation of the People Act 2000
	Presented by: Mr. Secretary Straw
	Supported by: The Prime Minister, Mr. Secretary Prescott, Mr. Secretary Reid, Mr. Secretary Murphy, Mr. Secretary Mandelson and Mr. Mike O'Brien
	(ii) Registration of Political Parties Act 1998
	Presented by: Mr Secretary Straw
	Supported by: The Prime Minister, Mr. Secretary Prescott, Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Secretary Margaret Beckett, Mr. Secretary Dewar, Mr. Secretary Davies, Mr. George Howarth.
	(iii) Political Parties Elections and Referendums Act 2000
	Presented by: Mr. Secretary Straw
	Supported by: The Prime Minister, Mr. Secretary Prescott, Mr. Secretary Byers, Mr. Secretary Reid, Mr. Secretary Murphy, Mr. Secretary Mandelson and Mr. Mike O'Brien.
	(iv) Elections Act 2001
	Presented by: Mr. Secretary Straw
	Supported by: The Prime Minister, Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Secretary Prescott, Mr. Secretary Murphy, Mr. Secretary Reid and Mr. Mike O'Brien.
	(v) Election Publications Act 2001
	Presented by: Lord Bassam of Brighton.

Call Centres

David Laws: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many call centres were run by her Department and its agencies in (a) 200304, (b) 200405 and (c) 200506 to date; and how many and what proportion of calls (i) were handled by an adviser, (ii) were received but abandoned and (iii) received an engaged tone in each year.

Harriet Harman: Two call centres are currently operated by the Department for Constitutional Affairs or its agencies.
	(i) The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal Call Centre, Leicester.
	(ii) The Magistrates Court Fines Collection Call Centre, Gwent.
	The following tables set out the performance information sought for both centres.
	
		
			 Asylum and Immigration Tribunals Call Centre 200304 200405 200506 to date 
		
		
			 Calls received 289,941 262,957 177,695 
			 Calls handled by an adviser 282,687 253,826 158,393 
			 Calls received but abandoned 7,254 9,131 19,302 
			 Engaged tone received by caller (43) (43) (43) 
		
	
	(43) Information not available
	
		
			 Gwent Magistrates Fines Centre 200304 200405 200506 to date 
		
		
			 Calls received (44) (44) 3,620 
			 Calls handled by an adviser (44) (44) 2,087 
			 Calls received but abandoned (44) (44) 1,533 
			 Engaged tone received by caller (44) (44) (45) 
		
	
	(44) New monitoring software was only installed recently. No information is available prior to 1 April 2005.
	(45) Information not available
	Following the installation of monitoring software, the high abandonment rate at Gwent Magistrates Court Fines Centre was identified and investigated, with remedial measures put in place on 2 October 2005. The number of lines has been increased threefold (from six to 21) and the situation is being closely monitored to ensure performance improves.

Claims Farmers

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what measures are being taken to regulate claims farmers.

Harriet Harman: The Compensation Bill, introduced in the House of Lords on 2 November 2005, sets out a statutory framework for the regulation of claims management services.
	The legislation will require those providing claims management services to be authorised by a regulator and abide by rules and a code of conduct, raising standards of service for the consumer. It will also provide a clear mechanism for making complaints.

Consultancy Fees

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much was spent by her Department on consultancy fees in (a) 200405 and (b) 200506; what the 200607 projected figure is; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: Information on expenditure on consultancy is not held centrally by my Department but is collected on an annual basis. The data collection exercise relating to 200405 is currently under way, and, on completion, details will be sent to the hon. Member.
	Projected figures for 200506 and 200607 could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Elections

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to her answer of 2 November 2005, Official Report, column 1165W, on independent candidate descriptions, what assessment she has made of the impact of clause 23 of the Electoral Administration Bill on the ability of independent candidates to run as Independent Labour, Independent Conservative or Independent Liberal Democrat.

Harriet Harman: Clause 23 of the Electoral Administration Bill states that it would be a matter for the returning officer, having regard to any guidance issued by the Electoral Commission, to decide whether a description proposed by an independent candidate would be permissible. However, it should be noted that clause 23 specifies that the description must not be the same as the name or description of a registered political party, nor be so similar as to confuse with or lead an elector to associate the candidate with a registered political party. The intention therefore is that names such as those suggested would not be permissible.

Elections

Andrew Turner: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  what the elections timetable, including the postal votes timetable, is for each type of election;
	(2)  what electoral timetable is proposed under the Electoral Administration Bill for each type of election, including for postal votes.

Harriet Harman: The full details of national, local, and European election timetables can be found in Section D of the independent Electoral Commission's guidance, 'Managing Electoral Services', published in August 2005. Section D of the guidance can be found on the Commission's website at: http://www.electoralcommission.gov.uk/files/dms/SectionD-Electionmanagement_181056672_E_.pdf
	The Electoral Administration Bill will remove Maundy Thursday as a disregarded daydies nonfor the purposes of all national and local elections, except local elections in Scotland. The Bill makes no further changes to either national or local electoral timetables.

Elections

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much was raised by each local authority from the sale of electoral registers in each of the past 10 years.

Harriet Harman: Electoral services are delivered by local electoral registration officers and returning officers. The information sought is held by individual local authorities, and is not collected by central Government.

Elections

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the recommended electoral registration rate is for each local authority.

Harriet Harman: At present, there are no such recommended rates set centrally. The Electoral Administration Bill currently before Parliament will allow for performance standards for the delivery of electoral services in order to promote best practice and consistency in the delivery of these services. Performance standards may be set for electoral registration officers in the performance of their functions. The Electoral Commission will be responsible for setting performance standards following consultation with the Secretary of State and any other person it thinks appropriate.

Expert Witnesses

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will take steps to accredit medical experts who give evidence in trials.

Harriet Harman: It would not be appropriate for a medical expert to be certified as meeting required standards for the purpose of giving evidence in a specific area of expertise, given the wide range of subject areas and substrands on which such a witness might be called to give expert testimony. It is for the trial judge to determine if any witness being called to give expert evidence, including medical evidence, has acquired by study or experience sufficient knowledge of the particular subject to render his opinion of value in resolving the issues before the court.

Government Websites

Charles Hendry: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  what steps the Government are taking to ensure that .gov.uk websites attain the AAA standard of accessibility; and what target date has been set to meet these standards;
	(2)  which Government websites, have achieved the AAA standard as specified in the world wide web consortium's web content accessibility guidelines.

Jim Murphy: I have been asked to reply.
	There is no centralised monitoring of UK Government websites for compliance with the W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and the accessibility levels they define.
	The Cabinet Office published the Guidelines for UK Government websites in 2002 to assist public sector web developers with the application of the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Content Accessibility guidelines. The Department has extensively promoted accessibility awareness and continues to keep web accessibility standards and technical developments under review. Responsibility for the application of accessibility guidelines rests with individual Government Departments, agencies and local authorities.

Hereditary Peers

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2005, Official Report, column 1166W, on hereditary peers, whether the Government plan to lower the candidacy age for hereditary peer by-elections to 18.

Harriet Harman: The Government made clear how they intend to proceed with the reform of the Lords in their 2005 manifesto, which includes legislation to remove the remaining hereditary peers. While there remain a wide range of views on the proper way forward, it is important to determine the part the second chamber plays in the parliamentary processes before other issues, including membership qualifications.

Judges

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many serving judges were originally (a) barristers and (b) solicitors.

Harriet Harman: The table gives a breakdown of the former professions of the judicial officers currently in post in the courts and for the Lords of Appeal in Ordinary. The first part of the table shows judges who hold full-time appointments, while the second part shows the present professions of those judges who hold fee-paid appointments. Figures have been obtained from the DCA Judicial Database and reflect the information held on the system.
	
		Part 1Full-time judicial officers
		
			 Serving judges/gender Former barristers Former solicitors Total 
		
		
			 Lords of Appeal in Ordinary
			 Women 1 0 1 
			 Men 11 0 11 
			 Total 12 0 12 
			 
			 Lord Chief Justice
			 Women 0 0 0 
			 Men 1 0 1 
			 Total 1 0 1 
			 
			 Master of the Rolls
			 Women 0 0 0 
			 Men 1 0 1 
			 Total 1 0 1 
			 
			 President Of The Queen's Bench Division
			 Women 0 0 0 
			 Men 1 0 1 
			 Total 1 0 1 
			 
			 President of the Family Division
			 Women 0 0 0 
			 Men 1 0 1 
			 Total 1 0 1 
			 
			 Chancellor Of The High Court
			 Women 0 0 0 
			 Men 1 0 1 
			 Total 1 0 1 
			 
			 Lord Justice of Appeal
			 Women 3 0 3 
			 Men 34 0 34 
			 Total 37 0 37 
			 
			 High Court Judge
			 Women 11 0 11 
			 Men 95 2 97 
			 Total 106 2 108 
			 
			 Circuit Judge (including judges of the Court of Technology and Construction)
			 Women 55 11 66 
			 Men 480 75 555 
			 Total 535 86 621 
			 
			 District Judge
			 Women 7 76 83 
			 Men 13 327 340 
			 Total 20 403 423 
			 
			 District Judge (PRFD)
			 Women 4 4 8 
			 Men 5 4 9 
			 Total 9 8 17 
			 District Judge (Magistrates Courts)
			 Women 12 17 29 
			 Men 34 69 103 
			 Total 46 86 132 
		
	
	
		Part 2Fee-paid judicial officers
		
			 Serving judges/gender Barristers Solicitors Total 
		
		
			 Recorder
			 Women 170 28 198 
			 Men 1,115 97 1,212 
			 Total 1,285 125 1,410 
			 
			 Deputy District Judge
			 Women 28 131 159 
			 Men 70 488 558 
			 Total 98 619 717 
			 
			 Deputy District Judge (Magistrates Courts)
			 Women 12 17 29 
			 Men 34 69 103 
			 Total 46 86 132 
			 
			 Deputy District Judge (PRFD)
			 Women 20 10 30 
			 Men 7 28 35 
			 Total 27 38 65

Magistrates Courts (Fines)

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much has been collected in fines at magistrates courts in Staffordshire in each of the last five years.

Harriet Harman: Information on fines imposed and collected is provided by the 42 HMCS Areas in England and Wales. The table shows the total amounts collected and the payment rate in Staffordshire for the last five financial years:
	
		
			 Financial year Collections () Payment Rate (percentage) 
		
		
			 200001 5,961,893 90 
			 200102 4,553,633 73 
			 200203 4,533,341 57 
			 200304 4,254,355 78 
			 200405 4,856,129 87 
		
	
	Prior to April 2003, confiscation order and civil amounts were also included in enforcement data in addition to fines, and direct comparisons with previous years are not therefore possible. The payment rate for 200405 demonstrates the improvement in performance in relation to the enforcement of fines made since the beginning of 200304.

Mentors

Keith Vaz: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many mentors will be (a) identified and (b) trained by her Department in the next two years.

Harriet Harman: The Department for Constitutional Affairs has a mentoring scheme for staff which has been in operation since March 2003. The scheme is open to all staff on a voluntary basis, so no mentors are specifically identified or trained, although staff are encouraged to participate.
	The Secretary of State and Lord Chancellor announced on 2 November that a pilot judicial mentoring scheme will be established in the north-east, where circuit judges will mentor district judges who want to apply for a more senior judicial post. My Department is working with the judiciary to decide an appropriate number of mentor judges to participate in the mentoring pilot and to receive appropriate training.

Parliamentary Boundaries

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the timetable is for the introduction of the order to amend parliamentary boundaries in Wales; and whether the revised boundaries will be in operation for the forthcoming Welsh Assembly elections.

Harriet Harman: The Boundary Commission for Wales submitted its report on Welsh parliamentary boundaries to the Government in January this year. We hope to lay the report and associated order before Parliament by the end of the year. The revised boundaries will come into force for 2007 Welsh Assembly elections.

Policy Development Grant

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2005, Official Report, column 1168W, on policy development grant, whether the Government plan to change the audit requirements for policy development grant to reflect its decision to treat and report the grant as a donation.

Harriet Harman: The decision to treat and report the policy development grant as a donation should have no effect on the audit requirements of the scheme.

Political Party Funding

David Taylor: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidelines cover financial donations to political parties.

Harriet Harman: Part IV of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 specifies the controls on donations to registered political parties and their members. It imposes restrictions on the sources of donations so as to prohibit foreign and anonymous donations to political parties and make registered parties subject to reporting requirements in respect of donations above a certain value. The Act also provides that the Electoral Commission regulate the system. They secure compliance by regulated parties, provide advice, guidance and assistance to individuals and regulated bodies.

Postal Voting

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the Department's policy is on all-postal vote elections.

Harriet Harman: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 7 June 2005, Official Report, column 535W.

Public Authorities

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will designate the English Regional Chambers as public authorities for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Harriet Harman: There are three ways in which a body can be a public authority for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000:
	it can be listed in Schedule 1 to the Act;
	it can be designated as a public authority by order under section 5 of the Act; or
	it can be a publicly-owned company as defined by section 6 of the Act.
	The English Regional Chambers are not listed in schedule 1 to the Act and are not publicly owned companies. No organisation has yet been designated by order under section 5 of the Act. The chambers are therefore not covered by the Act. They do not meet the conditions specified in section 4 of the Act and therefore cannot be added to schedule 1. The only way that they can be brought under the Act is by being designated by order under section 5 as a public authority for the purposes of the Act.
	The scope of the power in section 5 is very wide ranging, enabling the designation of bodies that appear to the Secretary of State to be exercising functions of a public nature and those that are providing under contract with a public authority services whose provision is a function of that authority.
	We are currently building up evidence of how freedom of information has impacted on the bodies that meet the existing criteria as specified in sections 4 and 6 of the Act. We feel that it is important to gain such evidence to inform consideration of how section 5 might be used.

Public Authorities

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidelines she has issued to (a) Network Rail, (b) the Association of Train Operating Companies, (c) individual train operating companies, (d) the Office of Rail Regulation, (e) the Health and Safety Executive, (f) the Strategic Rail Authority, (g) the Rail Passengers Council, (h) the passenger transport authorities, (i) the International Rail Regulator, (j) the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority, (k) Rail Safety and Standards Board, (l) the Rail Accident Investigation Branch and (m) the Health and Safety Commission's Railway Industry Advisory Committee on whether they are public authorities for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Harriet Harman: Specific guidelines have not been issued by the Department of Constitutional Affairs to these bodies on whether they are covered by the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
	There are three ways in which a body can be a public authority for the purposes of the Act:
	it can be listed in Schedule 1 to the Act;
	it can be designated as a public authority by order under section 5 of the Act; or
	it can be a publicly-owned company as defined by section 6 of the Act.
	As schedule 1 has been amended by order, an update version of Schedule 1 is available on http://www.foi.gov.uk/coverage.htm#schedule1.
	My Department has produced general guidance on coverage of the Act, which is publicly available on our website: http://www.foi.gov.uk/coverage-guide.htm.

Voter Turnout

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps the Government are taking to increase voter turnout in the next (a) local and (b) general elections.

Harriet Harman: Tacking low turnout at elections is a complex issue and one we cannot deal with through legislation alone. However, some of the measures in the Electoral Administration Billparticularly giving returning officers the power to promote elections and providing funding for them to do so, and also enabling people to register after an election has been calledshould help to improve turnout. These measures will apply to all elections.
	The Electoral Commission also has a statutory responsibility to promote public awareness of elections.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Access to Work Scheme

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average period of time taken to process travel cost reimbursement under the Access to Work scheme was in the last period for which figures are available; how many claims are awaiting payment; and what the (a) average and (b) total value is of outstanding claims.

Anne McGuire: The majority of Access to Work travel cost claims are processed by Regional Access to Work Business Centres on the day they are received, with an average national processing time of 1.4 days.
	The majority of Access to Work Business Centres do not have 'outstanding' claims. On the day information was collated 1 there were 485 claims awaiting payment, and these claims would then be processed on the day of receipt or on the following dayin an average of 1.4 days. The average value of the travel claims awaiting payment was 201.42, and the total value of those claims was 97,690.65.
	Once the paperwork has been processed by the Business Centres, claims are sent to an external contractor, Liberia, for payment. Liberia has an operating agreement to pay claims within five working days. In the three months to the end of August 2005, 24,200 claims were processed, of which 99.2 per cent. were processed within the terms of the operating agreement.
	1 5 September 2005.
	Source:
	DWP Finance Division
	Disability and Rehabilitation Division

Benefits

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) incapacity benefit and (b) severe disability allowance claimants there were in each quarter since February 2003, broken down by Jobcentre Plus district.

Anne McGuire: The information has been placed in the Library.

Benefits

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many incapacity benefit claims from the North East Milton Keynes Region were (a) registered and (b) successful in each year since 2000;
	(2)  what percentage of incapacity benefit claims were successful in each of the last three years.

Anne McGuire: Information is not available at constituency level. The available information is in the table.
	
		Incapacity benefit claims awarded as a percentage of those received: Great Britain
		
			 Financial year Claims awarded as a % of claims received 
		
		
			 July 2002-March 2003 35.15 
			 April 2003-March 2004 33.76 
			 April 2004-March 2005 34.50 
			 April 2005-August 2005 34.49 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Information is not available prior to July 2002.
	2. The most recent available information is August 2005.
	3. Claims awarded are those claims where an actual amount of benefit was awarded.
	Source:
	Central Data Unit for figures up to and including July 2004 and Management Information Systems Programme 04 (MISP04) from August 2004 to August 2005.

Benefits

Malcolm Rifkind: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of incapacity benefit claimants have been receiving the benefit for more than five years; and what percentage this was in May 1997.

Anne McGuire: Incapacity benefit was introduced in April 1995; five year duration figures are not available for 1997. As at May 2005, 47.6 per cent. of claimants had been claiming for five years or more.

Benefits

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what mileage rate is used to reimburse incapacity benefit claimants travelling to a medical test centre; when the rate was set; when he last reviewed the rate; and what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the change in petrol prices on the adequacy of the rate.

Anne McGuire: A rate of 6.5p per mile is paid towards meeting the fuel costs of customers attending a medical examination centre for an incapacity benefit medical examination when public transport is not available. This rate, which was set in 1998, is currently being reviewed.

Benefits

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people under the age of 60 years stopped receiving (a) incapacity benefit and (b) severe disablement allowance due to death in each month of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: The figures are not available for each month. The quarterly information is in the table.
	
		
			 Claimant off-flows due to death of claimant: at quarters shown Number 
		
		
			 Incapacity benefit  
			 May 2001 4,600 
			 August 2001 4,300 
			 November 2001 4,600 
			 February 2002 4,400 
			 May 2002 3,900 
			 August 2002 4,300 
			 November 2002 4,700 
			 February 2003 4,600 
			 May 2003 4,000 
			 August 2003 4,100 
			 November 2003 4,400 
			 February 2004 4,900 
			 May 2004 4,000 
			 August 2004 4,300 
			 November 2004 4,000 
			 February 2005 5,000 
			 May 2005 4,600 
			   
			 Severe disability allowance  
			 May 2001 900 
			 August 2001 700 
			 November 2001 800 
			 February 2002 900 
			 May 2002 800 
			 August 2002 (46)400 
			 November 2002 800 
			 February 2003 700 
			 May 2003 500 
			 August 2003 500 
			 November 2003 800 
			 February 2004 600 
			 May 2004 600 
			 August 2004 700 
			 November 2004 500 
			 February 2005 500 
			 May 2005 700 
		
	
	(46) Figures are subject to a high degree of sampling error and should only be used as a guide.
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2. Incapacity benefit figures include incapacity benefit credits-only cases.
	3. Figures for the latest quarter do not include any late notifications and are subject to major changes in future quarters.
	4. Earlier quarters have been updated to include late notifications.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate, 5 per cent. samples.

Benefits

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are claiming incapacity benefit in Morecambe and Lunesdale.

Anne McGuire: As at May 2005, there were 5,300 people claiming incapacity benefit or severe disability allowance in the Morecambe and Lunesdale parliamentary constituency.

Call Centres

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many call centres were run by his Department and its agencies in (a) 200304, (b) 200405 and (c) 200506 to date; and how many and what proportion of calls (i) were handled by an adviser, (ii) were received but abandoned and (iii) received an engaged tone.

Anne McGuire: The information requested is in the following table:
	
		
			  200304 200405 200506 
		
		
			 Number of call centres 153 98 (47)85 
			 Number of calls handled by an adviser 29,437,890 38,481,314 18,664,666 
			 Number of calls abandoned 3,927,351 6,342,046 4,071,625 
			 Proportion of calls abandoned (%) 11.7 14.1 17.9 
			 Number of calls receiving the engaged tone (48)21,985,562 (49)20,009,230 (50)509.446 
			 Proportion of calls receiving the engaged tone (%) 39.7 30.9 2.2 
		
	
	(47) The number of centres is reducing rapidly as small local telephony teams, particularly in Jobcentre Plus, are being replaced by larger call and contact centres.
	(48) This excludes 19,978,016 calls to the DLA/AA helpline that received the engaged tone during 200304.
	(49) This excludes 18,526,578 calls to the DLA/AA helpline that received the engaged tone during 200405.
	(50) The 22,403 calls to the DLA/AA helpline that have received the engaged tone during 200506.

Child Poverty

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on progress towards meeting the Government's 2005 child poverty targets.

Margaret Hodge: The Government has set an ambitious target to reduce the number of children in low-income households by at least a quarter by 200405, as a contribution towards the broader target of halving child poverty by 201011 and eradicating it by 202021.
	Since 1997 the number of children in low-income households has fallen by 700,000 and we are on course to meet the target to reduce the number of children in low-income households by at least a quarter by 200405. Data to report on the target will be available in spring 2006.
	We have recently published 'Opportunity for allseventh annual report' that comprehensively describes the Government's strategy and progress in tackling poverty and social exclusion. A copy is available in the Library.

Departmental Estate

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) land and (b) property his Department owns in Kettering constituency.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions does not own any land or property in the Kettering constituency. The majority of the buildings occupied by DWP have been transferred (for value) to Land Securities Trillium under the terms of the PRIME (Private Resource Initiative for Management of the Estate) contract. We currently occupy one property in Kettering, Derbyshire House in Lower Street.

Departmental Spending

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on items of art in 200405.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions has had no expenditure on items of art in 200405.

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills of new recruits to his Department.

Anne McGuire: Literacy and numeracy skills are assessed as a mandatory part of the recruitment process. Applicants are required to pass literacy and numeracy tests that have been chosen or designed for the Department based on an analysis of the requirements of our jobs.

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of new recruits to his Department do not have a level 2 qualification in English and mathematics.

Anne McGuire: This information is not available.

Departmental Staff

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what methods of assessment of (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills are used as part of the recruitment process by employees of his Department.

Anne McGuire: Literacy and numeracy skills are assessed through psychometric tests which have been chosen or designed specifically for the Department.

DNA-related Work

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many firms are being assessed by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies for DNA-related work; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions and its agencies are not currently assessing any firms, as a part of the contracting process, for DNA-related work. However, the Health and Safety Executive (a DWP non-departmental public body) regularly assess firms registered to carry out DNA-related work under the Genetically Modified Organisms (Contained Use) Regulations 2000.

Jobcentres

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in the funding of Jobcentre Plus on the number of (a) directly employed staff and (b) contracted staff.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie to Mr. Stephen O'Brien, dated 14 November 2005
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in the funding of Jobcentre Plus on the number of directly employed staff and contracted staff. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	At 1 March 2004, Jobcentre Plus employed the equivalent of 80,897 full time staff. At the end of September 2005, this figure has been reduced to 72,835 full time equivalents.
	Separate information on the number of staff contracted to work for Jobcentre Plus through agencies or as consultants is not held.
	I hope this is helpful.

Mental Health

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people living in (a) Basingstoke, (b) Hampshire and (c) Great Britain who are not working due to mental health problems are in receipt of (i) incapacity benefit, (ii) income support and (iii) incapacity benefit and income support.

Anne McGuire: Figures are not available for income support-only cases by diagnosis. The available information is in the table.
	
		Incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) claimants with a diagnosis in the 'mental and behavioural disorders' category at May 2005
		
			  All IB/SDA cases with a mental and behavioural disorder diagnosis IB/SDA with no income support IB/SDA with income support 
		
		
			 Great Britain 1,084,400 493,800 590,600 
			 Hampshire 13,000 6,600 6,400 
			 Basingstoke parliamentary constituency 1,000 600 400 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	2. Claimant' figures include all incapacity benefit and severe disability allowance (including incapacity benefit credits only cases).
	3. 'Hampshire' includes the following local authorities: Basingstoke and Deane, East Hampshire, Eastleigh, Fareham, Gosport, Hart, Havant, New Forest, Rushmoor, Test Valley and Winchester.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data.

Parliamentary Questions

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he will answer the question reference 22185, tabled on 24 October by the hon. Member for Gordon.

Anne McGuire: An answer was given on 11 November.

Pathways to Work

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of the (a) new recipients and (b) stock of recipients of incapacity benefit in (i) Pathways to Work pilot areas and (ii) the UK have moved into sustained employment in each month since the Pathway pilots were launched.

Margaret Hodge: It is too early in the life of the pilots to provide robust information on sustainability.
	This will be examined as part of the evaluation of the Pathways to Work pilots and we will publish this information once it becomes available.

Pathways to Work

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of (a) incapacity benefit and (b) severe disability living allowance claims have been terminated in the UK excluding the Pathways to Work pilot areas in each quarter since the first pilot areas came into operation.

Anne McGuire: The information is in the tables.
	
		Number of incapacity benefit claims that have been terminated in the UK excluding Pathways to Work pilot areas
		
			 Quarter ending All terminations (Thousand) Terminations outside Pathways to Work areas (Thousand) Percentage of terminations outside Pathways to Work areas 
		
		
			 November 2003 180.5 173.1 95.9 
			 February 2004 165.7 158.7 95.8 
			 May 2004 168.5 151.2 89.7 
			 August 2004 170.7 153.3 89.8 
			 November 2004 170.8 154.7 90.6 
			 February 2005 171.9 155.7 90.6 
			 May 2005 128.1 115.9 90.5 
		
	
	
		Number of severe disability allowance claims that have been terminated in the UK excluding Pathways to Work pilot areas
		
			 Quarter ending All terminations (Thousand) Terminations outside Pathways to Work areas (Thousand) Percentage of terminations outside Pathways to Work areas 
		
		
			 November 2003 3.5 3.4 97.7 
			 February 2004 2.8 2.7 93.7 
			 May 2004 2.4 2.2 91.7 
			 August 2004 2.9 2.8 97.9 
			 November 2004 2.6 2.4 93.1 
			 February 2005 3.1 2.8 91.5 
			 May 2005 1.3 1.2 93.8 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are shown in thousands and rounded to the nearest hundred. Totals may not sum due to rounding. Percentages are shown to one decimal place.
	2. Figures for the latest quarter do not include any late notifications and are subject to major changes in future quarters.
	3. Earlier quarters have been updated to include late notified terminations, including terminations for state pension.
	4. Pathways to work pilot areas were introduced in October 2003 and updated in April 2004. The areas relevant to each quarter have been used i.e Bridgend, Renfrewshire and Derbyshire for all quarters, plus Gateshead and South Tyneside, Somerset, Essex and East Lancashire from quarter ending May 2004.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate, 5 per cent. Samples

Pensions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of (a) newly retired women, (b) retired women, (c) newly retired men and (d) retired men are eligible for a full state pension in their own right.

Stephen Timms: The available information is in the table.
	
		
			 Great Britain-financial year 200506 Percentage entitled to a full basic state pension in their own right 
		
		
			 Newly retired women 30 
			 Retired women 47 
			 Newly retired men 85 
			 Retired men 87 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Percentages are rounded and relate to the pensioner population.
	2. Full basic state pension equals 100 per cent. entitlement and includes those who are entitled to a full basic state pension based fully or partly on their late or former spouse's contribution records. It also includes those who are entitled to a full basic state pension but choose to defer it.
	3. Newly retired means those reaching state pension age in 200506.
	4. Retired means all those over state pension age including those who are newly retired.
	Source:
	Government Actuary's Department

Remploy

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of the total work force of Remploy are not disabled.

Anne McGuire: 17 per cent. of total Remploy workforce (including the interwork business) are not disabled.
	Source:
	Remploy

Remploy

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of turnover is represented by management costs in Remploy.

Anne McGuire: In 200405, management costs represented 16.4 per cent. of the company's business turnover.

Remploy

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many shop floor workers have proceeded to management grades in Remploy since 1997.

Anne McGuire: Since April 1997, 129 Remploy shop floor workers have moved into management grades within the company businesses (excluding Remploy Interwork).

Sema/Atos Origin

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assets were transferred to Sema/Atos Origin in the 1998 Benefits Agency Medical Services Contract; whether (a) offices and (b) other premises were transferred assets in that contract; and what assets were transferred to Atos Origin in the 2005 Benefits Agency Medical Services Contract.

Anne McGuire: Under the terms of the 1998 outsourcing contract all assets previously owned and used by Benefits Agency to deliver the medical services were offered to Sema (now Atos Origin) as the successful bidder for purchase.
	Sema purchased assets that included all office furniture, IT hardware and office and medical equipment located in Medical Services Centres and Medical Service Examinations Centres located throughout the country.
	A contractual provision was made for Sema to use existing DWP and other Government Department premises to deliver the medical services. Sema/ Atos Origin occupy these premises under a formal lease arrangement.
	In 2005 there was no transfer of assets from the Department to Atos Origin under the Medical Services Agreement.

Unum Provident

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has entered into a contract with Unum Provident.

Anne McGuire: DWP has not entered into a contract with Unum Provident.

Winter Fuel Payments

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have received winter fuel payments in (a) Tamworth constituency, (b) Staffordshire, (c) the West Midlands and (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: Information relating to the 199798 and 199899 winters is not available. The information from winter 19992000 onwards is in the table. These figures are also available in the Library. Information on payments made in Northern Ireland is a matter for my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
	
		
			 Constituency/region Payments made 
			  19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Tamworth 12,515 14,475 14,845 15,225 15,710 15,940 
			 Staffordshire 138,255 157,750 161,340 165,620 169,930 170,975 
			 West Midlands 935,060 1,033,555 1,043,580 1,059,210 1,073,350 1,065,460 
			 Great Britain 10,084,130 11,105,745 11,201,895 11,348,040 11,468,235 11,401,170 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest five.
	3. Local authorities and parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
	Source:
	Information Directorate, 100 per cent. sample.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Agenda for Change

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which costs of the implementation of Agenda for Change will fall to local health and personal social service trusts; what additional resources the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety plans to provide to those trusts for that purpose; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The total costs to HPSS organisations of the implementation of Agenda for Change in 200506 is estimated at some 69 million, although the full effect will vary depending on the details of each trust's circumstances. The Department has made 58.583 million available to health and social services boards, trusts and agencies for the implementation of Agenda for Change in the current year 200506. Additional funding of 70 million in 200607 and 80 million in 200708 has been proposed within the draft Budget as published recently.

Antisocial Behaviour

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued to individuals from each district council area in the Province.

David Hanson: I refer the hon. Lady to the reply I gave on 2 November 2005, Official Report, column 1220W to her question concerning the number of antisocial behaviour orders issued in each constituency in Northern Ireland. Information is not held centrally on the addresses of individuals.

Arlene Arkinson

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with the Attorney-General on the case of Arlene Arkinson.

Peter Hain: I have written recently conveying my condolences to the Arkinson family and in response to their request for a public inquiry into the handling of Robert Howard's cases by the criminal justice system. The Police Ombudsman and the Lord Chief Justice have both indicated that they are addressing the serious issues affecting their respective areas of responsibility. I have undertaken to consider carefully the different aspects of these cases, including any conclusions the Ombudsman and the Lord Chief Justice may reach. I shall also engage with the Attorney-General before taking a final decision on the request.

Artefacts (Irish Parliament)

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether works of art, furniture, books, records and other artefacts are known to be located in (a) the Stormont Parliament buildings and (b) other locations for which he has ministerial responsibility that were originally (i) located or owned by the United Kingdom Parliament at Westminster and (ii) owned or displayed in the Parliament of Ireland, Dublin, prior to the Act of Union 1801; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: None of the items listed is known to be located in either Parliament buildings, Stormont or other buildings owned or maintained by the Northern Ireland Office or the 11 Departments of the NI Administration.

Teachers (Assaults)

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many assaults there have been on (a) male and (b) female teachers in the Province in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Smith: The Department of Education does not collect the requested information. However, from the 200203 school year, statistics on the reasons for suspensions have been gathered annually from each Education and Library Board. The following table illustrate the number of suspensions for verbal abuse of, and physical attacks on, staff for the 200203 and 200304 school years:
	
		Number of suspensions for abuse of staff by pupils in the school year
		
			 Reason for suspension Male Female Total 
		
		
			 200203
			 Verbal abuse of staff 1,683 343 2,026 
			 Physical attack on staff 320 45 365 
			 
			 200304
			 Verbal abuse of staff 1,867 403 2,270 
			 Physical attack on staff 281 39 320 
		
	
	It should be noted that these figures relate to the number of individual suspensions not to the number of pupils suspended. A split by gender is not available.
	These figures are available on the Department's website at http://www.deni.gov.uk/index/21-pupils_parents-pg/pupils_parents-suspensions_and_expulsions_pg.htm. Statistics are not yet available for the 200405 school year.

Brownlow College, Portadown

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the reasons are for the refusal to fund the development proposal for a sixth form proposed by Brownlow Controlled Integrated College in Portadown; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: An examination of the proposal from Brownlow Integrated College did not convince the Department that sufficient consideration and planning had been given to the issue.
	The College proposed to initially offer 10 academic 'A' level courses, which are also available in various combinations through other local post-primary and further education providers. The Department has also reservations about the viability of the sixth form and the proposal failed to provide sufficient statistical evidence to support the view that numbers could be sustained.

Business Aid

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many businesses in the Dungannon district have been grant-aided by Invest Northern Ireland during (a) 200203 and (b) 200304; how much financial aid was granted; and how many new jobs were created as a result.

Angela Smith: The number of businesses and amount of financial assistance offered within Dungannon district council area during 200203 and 200304 is presented in table 1 as follows:
	
		Table 1: Businesses assisted by Invest NI in Dungannon district council area
		
			  200203 200304 
		
		
			 Number of businesses offered assistance by Invest NI 48 105 
			 Amount of assistance offered ( million) 2.4 2.7 
			 Net change in employment within Invest NI clients 55 192 
		
	
	Invest NI measures employment change within its active client base. During the years 200203 and 200304 there was a net change in employ merit of 247.
	In addition to this support, 181 offers of assistance were made to new businesses through the Start a Business Programme (SABp), which is jointly administered by Invest NI and Enterprise Northern Ireland. Details are provided in table 2 as follows:
	
		Table 2: Start a Business Programme activity in Dungannon district council area
		
			  200203 200304 
		
		
			 Offers of assistance made through the Start a Business Programme 75 106 
			 Amount of assistance offered () 60,000 74,250 
			 Jobs expected to be created 135 191

Civil Service

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the percentage change in civil servant salaries in Northern Ireland has been in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Smith: The annual pay rises awarded to (a) the Northern Ireland civil service and (b) the Northern Ireland Office in each year since 1995 are as follows:
	
		Percentage
		
			  NICS below the senior civil service NIO below the senior civil service 
		
		
			 2004 (51)4.65 3.49 
			 2003 3.67 3.0 
			 2002 5.5 5.5 
			 2001 4.85 4.8 
			 2000 4.5 4.5 
			 1999 3.97 3.5 
			 1998 3.2 3.5 
			 1997 3.2 3.2 
			 1996 5.5 5.7 
			 1995 4.7 4.7 
		
	
	(51) 16 month pay deal

Civil Service

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many civil service posts there were in each Department, agency and non-departmental public body in Northern Ireland at (a) April 2004 and (b) April 2005; how many such posts he expects there to be in each case by April 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The number of civil service posts, expressed as whole time equivalent staff-in-post plus vacancies, in each of the 11 Northern Ireland Departments and the NIO, and their agencies at April 2004 and April 2005, and the expected number at April 2006 are set out in the following table.
	With the exception of two non-departmental public bodies (highlighted in the table) figures relating to NDPBs have not been included as they are not civil service posts.
	
		Number of civil service posts in Northern Ireland by Department
		
			  April 2004 April 2005 April 2006 (expected) 
			 Department Department Agencies Department Agencies Department Agencies 
		
		
			 Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) 3,347 803 3,347 803 2,530 767 
			 Enterprise, Training and Investment (DETI) 647 97 640 97 625 94 
			 Education (DE) 720 n/a 720 n/a 692 n/a 
			 Rural Development (DRD) 583 4,625 565 4,570 555 4,412 
			 Environment (DOE) 242 2,555 255 2,587 250 2,567 
			 Finance and Personnel (DFP) 1,635 1,362 1,588 1,269 1,543 1,314 
			 Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) 900 154 887 149 876 149 
			 Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) 213 264 206 263 198 262 
			 Employment and Learning (DEL) 1,748 n/a 1,748 n/a 1,721 n/a 
			 Social Development (DSD) 703 7,560 703 7,292 703 7,025 
			 Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) 460 n/a 451 n/a 449 n/a 
			 Sub total 11,198 17,420 11,110 17,030 10,142 16,590 
			 Northern Ireland Office (NIO) 2,593 2,337 2,423 2,376 2,513 2,441 
			 Grand total 13,791 19,757 13,533 19,406 12,655 19,031 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. DARD April 2006 expected reduction mainly due to creation of Agri-Food Bio-Sciences Institute (AFBI) as a non-departmental public body (NDPB) affecting about 700 staff. DARD Agencies: Forest Service and Rivers Agency.
	2. DETI Agencies figure refers to the NDPB Health and Safety Executive for NI which is staffed by civil servants.
	3. DRD Agencies: Roads Service and Water Service.
	4. DOE Agencies: Driver and Vehicle Licensing NI, Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency, Environment and Heritage Service and Planning Service.
	5. DFP Agencies: Business Development Service, Land Registers for NI, NI Statistics and Research Agency and Rate Collection Agency.
	6. DHSSPS Agencies figure includes Health Estates (Agency) and the NDPB Mental Health Commission which is staffed by civil servants.
	7. DCAL Agencies: Ordnance Survey NI and Public Record Office NI.
	8. DSD figures include staff working on DWP services (Belfast Benefit Centre, CSA Eastern Business Unit and Paid Order Store, Lisahally) which are fully funded by DWP. DSD Agencies: Child Support Agency and Social Security Agency.
	9. NIO figures exclude all home civil service posts, but include all temporary staff as time did not allow detailed analysis to exclude temporary staff not blocking permanent posts. The NIO Agencies: NI Prison Service, Youth Justice Agency, Forensic Science for NI, and the Compensation Agency.

Civil Service

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total number of civil service posts in the Northern Ireland civil service was in (a) April 2004 and (b) April 2005; and what his working assumption is for the number of such posts in April 2006.

Angela Smith: The total number of civil service posts, expressed as whole time equivalent staff-in-post plus vacancies, in the Northern Ireland civil service on the requested dates was as follows;
	
		
			  Total number of civil service posts 
		
		
			 April 2004 33,443 
			 April 2005 32,834 
		
	
	The figures in the table relate to the 11 Northern Ireland Departments and the NIO, including their agencies, but exclude home civil service staff and staff in non-departmental public bodies,
	The working assumption is that the numbers of posts will continue to reduce to an estimated level of around 31,584 in April 2006.

Civil Service

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 25 October 2005, Official Report, columns 10809W, on Northern Ireland Civil Service, which departments employed those people referred to in the recruitment figures under the heading 'Northern Ireland Civil Service'.

Angela Smith: The following table provides details of appointments to departments for the year 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005.
	
		
			  Protestant Roman Catholic Non-determined 
			 Department/General service grades Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage Total 
		
		
			 Child Support Agency CSA
			 Permanent 80 36.5 138 63.0 1 4 219 
			 Temporary 15 38.5 22 56.4 2 5.1 39 
			 
			 Agriculture and rural Development DARD
			 Permanent 85 47.2 95 52 52.8 0.0 180 
			 Temporary 30 35.3 53 62.3 2 2.3 85 
			 
			 Culture Arts and Leisure DCAL
			 Permanent 7 43.7 8 50.0 1 6.2 16 
			 Temporary 4 44.4 5 55.5 0 0.0 9 
			 
			 Education DE
			 Permanent 34 72.3 13 27.6  0.0 47 
			 Temporary 12 35.3 21 61.8 1 2.9 23 
			 Employment and Learning DEL
			 Permanent 34 41.5 46 56.1 2 2.4 82 
			 Temporary 6 100 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 6 
			 
			 Enterprise Trade and Investment DETI
			 Permanent 17 48.6 18 51.4 0 0.0 35 
			 Temporary 2 66.7 1 33.3 0 0.0 3 
			 
			 Finance and Personnel DFP
			 Permanent 79 47.3 86 51.5 2 1.2 167 
			 Temporary 28 45.2 34 54.8 0 0.0 62 
			 
			 Health Social Services and Public Safety DHSSPS
			 Permanent 31 96.9 0 0.0 1 3.1 32 
			 Temporary 19 50.0 19 50.0 0 0.0 38 
			 
			 Environment DOE
			 Permanent 0 0.0 14 100 0 0.0 14 
			 Temporary 11 39.3 16 57.1 3 3.6 28 
			 
			 Regional Development DRD
			 Permanent 98 41.7 136 57.9 1 0.4 235 
			 Temporary 8 44.4 10 55.5 0 0.0 18 
			 
			 Social Development DSD
			 Permanent 2 100 0 0.0 0 0.0 2 
			 Temporary 7 33.3 14 66.7 0 0.0 21 
			 
			 Health and Safety Executive HSENI
			 Permanent 0 0.0. 2 100 0 0.0 2 
			 Temporary 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 
			 
			 Northern Ireland Office NIO
			 Permanent 50 54.9 41 45.0 0 0.0 91 
			 Temporary 24 68.6 11 31.4 0 0.0 35 
			 
			 Prison Service NIPS
			 Permanent 10 71.4 4 28.6 0 0.0 14 
			 Temporary 4 80.0 1 20.0 0 0.0 5 
			 
			 Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister OFMDFM
			 Permanent 3 50 3 50 0 00.0 6 
			 Temporary 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 
			 
			 Ordnance Survey OSNI
			 Permanent 4 66.7 2 33.3 0 0.0 6 
			 Temporary 3 100 0 0.0 0 0.0 3 
			 
			 Social Security Agency SSA
			 Permanent 127 36.6 219 63.1 1 0.3 347 
			 Temporary 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 
			 
			 Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency DVTA
			 Permanent 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 
			 Temporary 3 37.5 5 62.5 0 0.0 8

Coroner Services

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in how many cases the remains of deceased people from Foyle constituency have been retained in Belfast for three days or more since the amalgamation of the Derry Coroner's District with the Greater Belfast Coroner's District.

Peter Hain: The Derry Coroner's District amalgamated with the Greater Belfast Coroner's District on 26 September 2005. From 26 September until 4 November 20 bodies from the Derry area were referred for post mortem examination. One body was held for more than three days, a suspicious death which required a second post mortem by a pathologist for the defence.

Disability Services

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of funding that makes up the learning disability programme of care is allocated to each aspect of the programme.

Shaun Woodward: The answer is detailed in the following table.
	
		Learning disability 200304 expenditure
		
			 Sector/Speciality name Percentage of funding 
		
		
			 Acute  
			 Mental HandicapAdults and children 22.8 
			   
			 Community  
			 Allied Health (OT, Physiotherapy, SLT, Podiatry) 3.3 
			 Community Medical / Dental 1.5 
			 Direct Payments 1.8 
			 Incontinence Products 0.1 
			 Nursing Costs 2.2 
			   
			 Personal Social Services  
			 Day care Facilities 20.8 
			 Grants, Goods and Services 4.8 
			 Domiciliary Care 3.8 
			 Nursing Homes 11.3 
			 Adult Residential Homes 17.1 
			 Children's Residential Homes 2.5 
			 Social Work 5.1 
			 Supported and Other Accommodation 2.9 
			 Total spend 100.0

Early Release

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prisoners who have applied for early release following the signing of the Belfast Agreement for crimes committed prior to that agreement have been (a) released and (b) refused release.

Shaun Woodward: Under the terms of the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998, 447 prisoners have been released early; 127 applications for release under the Act have been unsuccessful. Among those 127 there were 14 prisoners who were released, having served their sentence, before the Sentence Review Commissioners reached a decision on their application.

Eglinton Primary School

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on (a) (i) pupil numbers and (ii) condition of the building at Eglinton primary school and (b) the prospects for a new school building.

Angela Smith: The current enrolment of Eglinton primary school is 212 pupils.
	The Department inspected the school in July 2004 and is aware that it has a number of shortcomings. Among those noted were poor condition of walls and windows; need for re-wiring; re-plumbing and replacement of toilets. There is a serious shortage of storage space. There are three mobile classrooms.
	The Western education and library board has submitted an economic appraisal to the Department for a capital major works scheme. While the school's needs are recognised it is not possible at this stage to say when a new building would be approved.

Grammar Schools

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals who were considered to come from the (a) Protestant, (b) Roman Catholic and (c) other communities have attended each grammar school in the Province in the last 10 years.

Angela Smith: The information has been placed in the Library.

Housing

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many homes were sold to the tenant and subsequently repurchased by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive from the tenant, in each of the past five years.

David Hanson: The information requested for each of the last five financial years (1 April to 31 March each year) is as follows;
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 200001 12 
			 200102 33 
			 200203 31 
			 200304 18 
			 200405 11 
			 200506 (9 November 2005) 20

Insurance Premiums

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the change in insurance premiums for small and medium-sized businesses in 200405.

Angela Smith: A survey of business insurance premiums in Northern Ireland is undertaken annually by the Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment. The last survey was undertaken at the end of 2004 and showed a reduction of 16.1 per cent. in the average (median) insurance premiums for small and medium businesses compared to the previous year.
	The next set of results from the survey which will provide an estimate of the change in insurance premiums between 2004 and 2005 will be published in spring 2006.

Irish League Premier Division

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress is being made in funding the improvements in facilities for customer safety and comfort at each of the Irish league premier division grounds.

David Hanson: Responsibility for funding improvements to facilities for customer safety and comfort at Irish league premier division grounds rests with the venue operators. Assistance in funding such improvements is available from the Sports Council for Northern Ireland (SCNI). SCNI has already provided the following assistance:
	
		
		
			 Club Award total 
		
		
			 Portadown Football Club 331,192 
			 Glentoran Football Club 267,597 
			 Cliftonville Football Club 275,000 
			 Coleraine Football Club 225,000 
			 Ballymena UTD Football Club 245,000 
			 Linfield Football Club 256,590 
			 Newry City Football Club 290,000 
			 Glenavon Football Club 330,000 
			 Institute Football Club 41,900 
			 Limavady United Football Club 30,000 
			 Dungannon Swifts Football Club 25,366 
			 Larne Football Club 15,000 
			 Lisburn Distillery Football Club 12,384 
			 Ards Football Club 40,000 
			 Total 2,385,029 
		
	
	SCNI is currently considering applications for further assistance to improve customer safety and comfort at three Irish league premier division grounds.

Literacy and Numeracy

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many employees in his Department have requested training to improve their (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills in each year since 2001.

David Hanson: Since 2001, one member of staff in the Northern Ireland Office has requested training to improve their literacy skills. The applicant was interviewed to assess their training requirement and an appropriate course was identified with a local college. Ongoing support is being provided to the student. No staff have sought assistance with numeracy skills although basic numeracy skills are included in the Department's financial training courses.

M2

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of changes in commuter travel time at peak times from junction 5 of the M2 motorway to Belfast city centre over the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
	Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin to Mr. Gregory Campbell, dated 14 November 2005
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question regarding what assessment he has made of changes in commuter travel time at peak times from junction 5 of the M2 motorway to Belfast City Centre over the last five years. I have been asked to reply as this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service.
	Roads Service monitors journey times on the strategic routes in Northern Ireland including the routes from Larne to Belfast to Newry (A8, M2, Ml and Al). These surveys commenced in 1996 and the most recent information available is for 2003.
	Unfortunately, we have no journey time information that relates to the specific journey between junction 5 (Templepatrick) and Belfast City Centre. However, a comparison of journey times between Templepatrick and the Divis Street junction on Westlink would suggest that the average journey time in the morning peak over this section has increased by 3 to 4 minutes between 1998 and 2003.
	We fully appreciate the significant delays experienced by southbound traffic approaching Sandyknowes on the M2. Roads Service acknowledges that these delays are a direct result of capacity restrictions downstream of Sandyknowes where only 2 traffic lanes are available to cater for both mainline M2 traffic and the considerable flow joining the motorway from the Sandyknowes roundabout. Consequently we plan to widen the Belfast-bound carriageway of the M2 motorway to create an additional southbound lane between the Sandyknowes and Greencastle junctions. This will make it easier for traffic to join the M2 from the Sandyknowes junction, particularly during the morning peak traffic, and also provide greater capacity on the Belfast-bound section of the M2 towards Greencastle. Construction of these improvements on the M2 is expected to start during 2008.
	The 30 million M2 Widening Scheme is one of three schemes forming part of the 100 million Roads Service Design, Build, Finance and Operate Package 1, along with the Ml/Westlink Project and the Antrim Hospital slip roads.
	I can also advise that the Belfast Metropolitan Transport Plan proposes modifications to the Sandyknowes roundabout to minimise conflicts between different traffic movements and afford greater priority to the strategic M2 and A8 movements. Roads Service is currently investigating various design options.
	I hope this information is helpful.

Medical Students

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many medical students have studied in Northern Ireland in each year since 2000; and how many were entrants from (a) the independent and (b) the state education sector.

Angela Smith: Total student enrolments on medicine courses at Northern Ireland Higher Education Institutions which lead towards eligibility to register for practice as a doctor in each year since 2000.
	
		
			 Academic year Enrolments on first courses degree medicine 
		
		
			 200003 887 
			 200102 915 
			 200203 914 
			 200304 918 
		
	
	The Department for Employment and Learning does not hold data on entrants to HEIs according to type of institution previously attended.

Non-departmental Public Bodies

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the overall cost to public funds of all non-departmental public bodies in Northern Ireland has been in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The cost to the public purse of all non-departmental public bodies sponsored by Departments in the NI Administration and the Northern Ireland Office is set out in the following table:
	
		 million
		
			  Current expenditure Capital investment 
		
		
			 200102 1,369.4 91.0 
			 200203 1,644.8 63.5 
			 200304 1,662.6 95.5 
			 200405 1,683.4 119.0 
			 200506 1,847.1 175.2

PFI Schools

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what (a) controlled, (b) maintained and (c) integrated sector schools have been built in Northern Ireland using private finance initiative schemes in each year since 2001; and where each is located.

Angela Smith: There have been three controlled schools and one maintained school built in Northern Ireland using the private finance initiative. Three of these have become operational since 2001. Wellington College, Belfast and Balmoral High School, Belfast, both controlled schools, opened in January 2002 and St. Genevieve's High School, Belfast, a maintained school, opened in February 2002.
	In addition, PPP schemes have been announced each year since 2001 as follows:
	
		
			 Controlled Maintained and Voluntary(52) Integrated 
		
		
			 2001   
			 Coleraine College Holy Cross College, Strabane  
			 Bangor Academy and Sixth Form College St. Cecilia's College, Londonderry  
			 Comber High School St. Mary's College, Londonderry  
			 2002   
			 Tor Bank Special School, Dundonald Our Lady and St. Patrick's Lagan College 
			  College, Knock Belfast 
			  St. Patrick's GS, Downpatrick  
			  St. Mary's PS, Portglenone  
			  St. Joseph's PS, Carryduff  
			 2003   
			 Orangefield PS, Belfast   
			 Orangefield HS, Belfast   
			 Ashfield Girls' HS, Belfast   
			 Belfast Boys' Model   
			 Belfast Model School for Girls   
			 Grosvenor GS Belfast   
			 2004   
			 Greenwood Assessment Centre, Belfast Holy Trinity College, Cookstown  
			 Mitchell House Special School, Belfast Loreto GS, Omagh  
			 Rosetta PS, Belfast Rainey Endowed, Magherafelt  
			 Ballymoney HS, Ballymoney   
			 Devenish College, Enniskillen   
			 Belmont House Special School, Londonderry   
			 Erne Special School, Enniskillen   
			 Amalgamation of Limegrove Special School, Limavady /Glasvey Special School, Ballykelly   
			 Strabane GS   
		
	
	(52)Includes maintained and voluntary grammar schools.

Procurement Policy

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether (a) he and (b) another Minister was advised of the impact in terms of the valid consideration of wider policy objectives consistent with EU rules of the Procurement Policy Review commissioned by the Northern Ireland Executive.

Angela Smith: Following a review of public procurement, the new procurement policy was announced in the Northern Ireland Assembly in May 2002. The overall aim of the policy is to achieve best value for money in the procurement of goods, works and services over the lifetime of a contract. Best value for money does not mean the lowest initial cost. It means securing a procurement that meets the user's needs and achieves a balance between quality and cost throughout the life of the asset. Within this definition the policy allows for the consideration of wider policy objectives into procurement, that meet the tests of need, affordability and cost-effectiveness and comply with the UK's EC and international obligations.
	All Northern Ireland Ministers are very aware of the concept of best value for money in the context of public procurement in Northern Ireland and Lord Rooker, through chairmanship of the Procurement Board, has specific responsibility for procurement policy,

Regional Rates

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland by how much and what percentage the regional rate has changed in each of the last 20 years.

Angela Smith: The following table gives the increases in pence and in percentage terms in the domestic and the non-domestic regional rates from the 198687 financial year.
	
		Domestic and non-domestic regional rate: changes (pence) and percentage change
		
			  Domestic regional rate change Non-domestic regional rate change 
			  Pence Percentage Pence Percentage 
		
		
			 198687 9.51 10.7 9.51 9.4 
			 198788 3.15 3.2 3.15 2.9 
			 198889 9.06 8.9 9.06 8.0 
			 198990 15.48 14.0 15.48 12.6 
			 199091 10.20 8.1 10.20 7.4 
			 199192 (53)- 64.87 -47.6 17.13 11.6 
			 199293 -4.23 -5.9 - 12.23 -7.4 
			 199394 -1.19 -1.8 - 13.19 -8.6 
			 199495 8.70 13.2 8.70 6.2 
			 199596 5.22 7.0 5.22 3.5 
			 199697 6.41 8.0 4.41 2.9 
			 199798 6.66 7.7 (54) n/a 
			 199899 6.22 6,7 0.65 2.5 
			 19992000 7.94 8.0 1.47 5.5 
			 200001 8.57 8.0 1.30 4.6 
			 200102 8.10 7.0 0.97 3.3 
			 200203 8.67 7.0 1.00 3.3 
			 200304 7.95 6.0 (55) n/a 
			 200405 12.36 8.8 0.84 3.3 
			 200506 13.75 9.0 0.87 3.3 
		
	
	(53) Domestic Rate Aid Grant increased from 12p to 94p due to Chancellor's Budget in line with the Great Britain Community Charge reduction.
	(54) Not applicablenon-domestic revaluation (4th general revaluation)
	(55) Not applicablenon-domestic revaluation (5th general revaluation)

Royal Mail

William McCrea: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with the Royal Mail on the recent removal of local post office services within Northern Ireland to private premises.

Angela Smith: There have been no such discussions. Decisions on individual closures and conversions of directly managed (Crown) post offices are operational and commercial matters for Post Office Ltd.

Sentencing Framework

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish the conclusions of the review on the sentencing framework in Northern Ireland.

David Hanson: A summary of the responses to the public consultation on the review of the sentencing framework was published on the Northern Ireland Office website in September 2005. Policy options are currently under consideration. I will make an announcement in due course.

Social Care Studies

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals commencing social care study in the Province (a) failed to complete and (b) completed their university course in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The information is as follows:
	
		
			 Academic year Students gaining social work qualifications 
		
		
			 19992000 420 
			 200001 508 
			 200102 448 
			 200203 486 
			 200304 389 
		
	
	The Department does not hold data, by subject area, on those students who fail to complete or on students who complete the course but fail to gain the qualification.

Truancy

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent on tackling truancy in the Province since 1997.

Angela Smith: The information requested is not available. The money spent on tackling truancy in schools in the province is subsumed within the operating cost of the Education Welfare Service of the education and library boards. From 1 January 2004 the Department has collected information on the cost of the Education Welfare Service and the cost for the 2004 calendar year amounts to approximately 5.6 million.

Truancy

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the level of truancy among (a) males and (b) females at (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools in the Province.

Angela Smith: The Department of Education does not collect the requested information. However, information on referrals of pupils to the Education Welfare Service is collected from each of the Education and Library Boards on an annual basis. Referrals can be for a variety of reasons, including truancy.
	The following table shows the percentage of pupils referred to the Education Welfare Service at each key stage in Northern Ireland from 200001 to 200304:
	
		
			  Percentage pupils referred 
			  200001 200102 200203 200304 
		
		
			 Key Stage 1 0.89 1.27 1.53 1.05 
			 Key Stage 2 1.72 1.88 2.14 1.61 
			 Key Stage 3 4.85 5.02 5.12 4.40 
			 Key Stage 4 8.12 8.46 8.92 6.42

Unfilled Jobs

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the percentage of unfilled jobs in the Province that are the result of skills shortages among potential applicants.

Angela Smith: Results from the most recent Skills Monitoring Survey published by the Department for Employment and Learning in 2003 show that 7.3 per cent. of vacancies reported by employers, were unfilled due to external skills shortages.

University Entrants

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of entrance to university by students from less well-off families in the Province in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The following tables set out social class and socio-economic classification data collected by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service for Ni domiciled applicants accepted to degree courses at UK Higher Education Institutions by year of entry. 2002 was the first year data were supplied according to National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification. It replaced the social class measure which was available until 2001,
	
		
			 Social Class 2000 Percentage (excluding unknown) 2001 Percentage (excluding unknown) 
		
		
			 I Professional 964 10.2 1,034 10.4 
			 II Intermediate 3,871 41.1 4,108 41.3 
			 III Skilled Non-manual 1,676 17.8 1,709 17.2 
			 IIIM IM Skilled Manual 1,939 20.6 2,099 21.1 
			 IV Partly Skilled 725 7.7 734 7.4 
			 V Unskilled 242 2.6 253 2.5 
			 Not Known 955  1,171  
			 Total 10,372  11,108  
		
	
	
		
			 Socio-Economic Classification (SEC) 2002 Percentage (excluding unknown) 2003 Percentage (excluding unknown) 2004 Percentage (excluding unknown) 
		
		
			 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 1,456 14.5 1,416 13.6 1,436 13.5 
			 2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 2,916 29.1 3,030 29.1 3,113 29.4 
			 3. Intermediate occupations 1,825 18.2 1,820 17.5 1,915 18.1 
			 4. Small employers and own account workers 1,438 14.3 1,446 13.9 1,436 13.5 
			 5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 553 5.5 648 6.2 673 6.3 
			 6. Semi-routine occupations 1,092 10.9 1,240 11.9 1,244 11.7 
			 7. Routine occupations 745 7.4 796 7.7 789 7.4 
			 Unknown 1,667  1,860  2,088  
			 Total 11,692  12,256  12,694

Youth Services (Funding)

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to consult directly with (a) children, (b) young people and (c) their families on priorities and possibilities for the funding package announced in Budget and Priorities 200608.

Angela Smith: Public consultation on the Draft Priorities and Budget 200608 commenced on 25 October, and will run until 5 December. In the course of this process we would welcome input from any and all interested parties, particularly in respect of the new funding packages. Comments may be made in writing, or by attending one of a series of consultation events, open to all members of the public.

Youth Services (Funding)

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent on children's services in the Province in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: Children's services cover a wide and varied range of activities across a number of Departments. Expenditure on activities which benefit children, either directly or indirectly, cannot be easily identified as budgets and expenditure lines are constructed to identify functions and programmes rather than target groups, The information sought could, therefore, be provided only at disproportionate cost.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Call Centres

David Laws: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many call centres were run by his Department and its agencies in (a) 200304, (b) 200405 and (c) 200506 to date; and how many and what proportion of calls (i) were handled by an adviser, (ii) were received but abandoned and (iii) received an engaged tone.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Both the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) and its agencies do not use call centres.
	The number of calls received to the main ODPM switchboard prior to January 2003 is unavailable. However, a total of 24,833 calls were received January 2003 to March 2003, 118,773 during 200304, 129,209 during 200405 and 61,408 from the start of 200506 to the end of September 2005. Abandoned call data are available only from October 2004, since when, out of 106,823 calls received, only 0.2 per cent. were abandoned by the caller after 15 seconds. Rather than receive an engaged tone when waiting for an operator to become available, the call continues to ring until answered.
	The Fire Service College have received 15,703 calls since July 2005 (no data available prior to this date). Out of those received, 14,388 (92 per cent.) were answered within the Fire Service College's performance target of 15 seconds. All calls to the main Fire Service College switchboard are handled by advisers: no data are available concerning abandoned calls. Calls to the switchboard continue to ring until answered rather than receive an engaged tone.
	The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre receives approximately 110,000 calls annually which none are handled by advisers: no data are held concerning abandoned calls. Calls to the main switchboard do not receive an engaged tone, but go straight to voicemail if unanswered after a short period of time.
	Call data volume for the Planning Inspectorate are not held nor are statistics relating to abandoned calls. All calls to the switchboard are handled by advisers and calls are placed into a queue until an advisor is available.

Council Housing

Clive Betts: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of Sheffield's council housing stock has been sold under the right-to-buy scheme since 1980.

Yvette Cooper: It is estimated that approximately 35 per cent. of Sheffield's local authority housing stock has been sold through the right-to-buy scheme up to the end of March 2005.

Council Housing

Clive Betts: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many council homes were sold under the right-to-buy scheme in Sheffield in 2004-05.

Yvette Cooper: Sheffield reported 1,323 local authority dwellings were sold under the right-to-buy scheme in 200405.

Council Housing

Brian Iddon: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many council homes were sold under the right-to-buy scheme in Bolton in each year since 1980.

Yvette Cooper: The number of local authority dwellings sold under right-to-buy since 1980, as reported by Bolton is tabled as follows:
	
		Bolton: right-to-buy sales
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 197980 0 
			 198081 4 
			 198182 383 
			 198283 290 
			 198384 209 
			 198485 233 
			 198586 216 
			 198687 47 
			 198788 24 
			 198889 356 
			 198990 645 
			 199091 668 
			 199192 265 
			 199293 151 
			 199394 136 
			 199995 114 
			 199596 87 
			 199697 89 
			 199798 133 
			 199899 138 
			 19992000 150 
			 200001 231 
			 200102 240 
			 200203 347 
			 200304 654 
			 200405 774

Council Housing

Brian Iddon: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of Bolton's council housing stock has been sold under the right-to-buy since 1980.

Yvette Cooper: It is estimated that approximately 25 per cent. of Bolton's local authority housing stock has been sold through the right-to-buy scheme up to the end of March 2005.

Council Housing

Brian Iddon: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will break down the total number of right-to-buy sales in Bolton since 1980 by (a) bedsit, (b) one-bed, (c) two-bed, (d) three-bed and (e) four or more bedrooms.

Yvette Cooper: Information is not held centrally on the numbers of bedrooms of local authority dwellings sold through right-to-buy, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Council Housing

Brian Iddon: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will set out the total capacity receipts generated from right-to-buy sales in (a) Bolton and (b) the north-west region in each year since 1980.

Yvette Cooper: The total capital receipts from right-to-buy sales of local authority dwellings in Bolton and the north-west region in the years from 199697 onwards are tabulated as follows. These figures are net of discounts and are as reported by local authorities.
	
		Capital receipts
		
			  million 
			  Bolton North-west 
		
		
			 199697 1.4 57.8 
			 199798 2.1 74.0 
			 199899 2.2 69.4 
			 19992000 2.4 89.6 
			 200001 3.7 105.0 
			 200102 4.1 120.1 
			 200203 6.1 168.3 
			 200304 13.4 271.7 
			 200405 19.8 251.2 
		
	
	Source:
	Quarterly P1(A/B) return received from local authorities
	The information for years prior to 199697 is not centrally available.

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will place in the Library preliminary (a) analysis, (b) studies and (c) estimates conducted before the announcement of the revaluation postponement by (i) his Office and (ii) the Valuation Office Agency on the distribution and number of gainers and losers from the council tax revaluation in England.

Phil Woolas: As my right hon. Friend said on 20 September, Sir Michael Lyons will set out his work so far later this year.

Departmental Skills Development Plan

Nick Gibb: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which individual is responsible for developing and implementing his Department's Skills Development Plan.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Barrow and Furness (Mr. Hutton) on 2 November 2005, Official Report, column1074W.

Domestic Violence

Lynda Waltho: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to improve the services offered to women seeking refuge from domestic violence.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister plays an important part in the Government's action to tackle domestic violence. Specific action taken recently includes:
	Investing more than 30 million over three years for new refuge provision and refurbishment of existing refuge schemes.
	Investing 1.4 million over three years to develop a new national domestic violence helpline (0808 2000 247) supported by UKRefugesonline an internet based UK wide database of domestic violence services.
	Providing 200,000 in 200506 for the development of minimum service standards for the Women's Aid network of domestic violence services, a programme of accredited training and support the regional network of women's refuges.
	Introducing a substantially revised domestic violence Best Value Performance Indicator from 1 April 2005, the purpose of which is to assess overall provision and effectiveness of local authority services designed to help victims of domestic violence.
	Establishing the Supporting People programme from 1 April 2003, providing a more strategic basis for funding and commissioning housing related support services for victims of domestic violence. A consultation seeking views on the future direction of the programme will be launched shortly and will be a vehicle for improving services for those fleeing domestic violence.

Energy Efficiency

Tim Boswell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what action he is taking to improve the energy efficiency of community buildings.

Yvette Cooper: The energy efficiency provisions in Part L of the Building Regulations apply whenever buildings, including community buildings, are constructed, altered, extended or subjected to a material change of use. In September the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister announced further improvements to these energy efficiency requirements that will come into effect next April.

Fire-related Deaths

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many fire-related deaths there have been in West Lancashire in each of the last three years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Lancashire fire and rescue service have supplied the following information on the number of fire-related deaths in the constituency of West Lancashire from 2002 to 2004.
	
		
			  Number of deaths in fires 
		
		
			 2002 0 
			 2003 0 
			 2004 1

Fire-related Deaths

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what changes the Government have made to targets for reducing the number of (a) accidental fire-related deaths in the home and (b) deliberate fires since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government made changes to the Service Level Agreement Targets covering the period 199899 to 2010 when we introduced a Public Service Agreement (PSA) Target for the Fire and Rescue Service in April 2005.
	The Service Level Agreement Target for reducing the number of accidental fire related deaths in the home was:
	To reduce the incidence of accidental fire-related deaths in the home by 20 per cent. averaged over the five-year period to March 2004 compared with the average recorded in the five year period to March 1999,
	The current PSA target for reducing the number of accidental fire related deaths in the home is:
	To reduce the number of accidental fire related deaths in the home by 20 per cent. by 31 March 2010.
	This includes a floor target:
	That no local fire and rescue authority has a fatality rate, from accidental fires in the home, more than 1.25 times the national average by 2010.
	The Service Level Agreement for reducing the number of deliberate fires was:
	To reduce by 30 per cent. the number of deliberate fires by March 2009 from the 199809 baseline.
	The current PSA target for reducing the number of deliberate fires is:
	To achieve a 10 per cent. reduction in the number of deliberate fires by 31 March 2010 from the 200102 baseline.

Home Information Packs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the required elements of home information packs.

Yvette Cooper: The draft regulations specifying the contents of the home information pack were published for public comment on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website on 31 October. The proposed required documents are listed in Regulation 8

Home Information Packs

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the timetable is for the introduction of home information packs.

Yvette Cooper: The intention of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is to introduce home information packs early in 2007, and we are discussing with our key stakeholders how best this can be achieved.

Housing

John Greenway: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to increase the number of (a) affordable homes and (b) social housing units in rural areas.

Yvette Cooper: The Housing Corporation is currently considering bids from registered social landlords and others to support the increased provision of both social rented and low cost home ownership products over 200608. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expects (subject to satisfactory bids coming forward) that some 424 million of grant will be allocated to bids in rural areas. The results of the bidding round will be announced in early 2006.

Housing

John Greenway: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to publish a revised planning policy guidance note 3 on the provisions of affordable housing in rural areas.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister intends to publish by the end of this year a draft new Planning Policy Statement 3 (PPS3) for consultation. Final PPS3 will be published as soon as practicable after the consultation period has closed.

Housing

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) studio and one-bed, (b) two-bed, (c) three-bed and (d) four-bed units of social housing there were in each London local authority in (i) 1980, (ii) 1990, (iii) 2000 and (iv) 2005.

Yvette Cooper: For 1980 and 1990, information on registered social landlord housing stock or local authority stock by size for each London borough is not held centrally. The information for 2000 and 2005 for those properties for which a breakdown is available is given as follows.
	
		Table 1: Social stock by size for London boroughs2000
		
			  One bedroom and bedsits Two bedrooms Three or more bedrooms 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 6,364 10,666 8,383 
			 Barnet 4,596 6,892 4,467 
			 Bexley 3,351 2,889 3,846 
			 Brent 7,769 7,807 5,668 
			 Bromley 5,618 5,475 5,370 
			 Camden 14,884 10,629 8,764 
			 City of London 1,154 687 466 
			 Croydon 6,600 7,959 8,400 
			 Ealing 8,618 7,676 5,880 
			 Enfield 5,563 6,570 5,558 
			 Greenwich 10,561 11,896 12,113 
			 Hackney 13,997 14,675 12,880 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 10,227 7,597 5,931 
			 Haringey 10,018 9,058 8,057 
			 Harrow 2,858 2,400 2,405 
			 Havering 4,811 4,755 4,059 
			 Hillingdon 5,242 5,476 4,461 
			 Hounslow 5,848 7,159 6,256 
			 Islington 16,776 13,335 10,388 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 8,998 5,819 3,551 
			 Kingston upon Thames 2,531 2,230 1,669 
			 Lambeth 16,301 16,281 14,957 
			 Lewisham 12,260 14,727 12,405 
			 Merton 3,418 3,686 4,098 
			 Newham 10,315 11,009 10,325 
			 Redbridge 3,367 2,436 2,087 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 4,237 2,774 2,638 
			 Southwark 21,442 20,793 17,323 
			 Sutton 3,894 4,404 3,546 
			 Tower Hamlets 12,308 14,589 12,216 
			 Waltham Forest 6,875 6,313 6,738 
			 Wandsworth 9,710 9,569 7,735 
			 Westminster 13,191 7,195 4,401 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are given for those registered social landlord general needs dwellings for which the landlord has provided size from the Regulatory and Statistical Return of the Housing Corporation.
	2. The dwelling stock figures exclude non-self contained properties and staff homes.
	3. Local authority information comes from the Housing Revenue Account Subsidy Audit Base Return and does not include non-self contained units and may exclude stock owned by the local authority outside their area even if it is in another borough.
	
		Table 2: Social stock by size for London boroughs2005
		
			  Bedsit One bedroom Two bedrooms Three bedrooms Four or more bedrooms 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 476 5,047 9,496 7,237 288 
			 Barnet 338 3,762 6,763 3,993 515 
			 Bexley 350 2,810 3,393 3,781 565 
			 Brent 583 5,957 7,575 4,684 978 
			 Bromley 552 3,261 5,643 4,722 618 
			 Camden 2,756 10,118 9,634 6,161 1,971 
			 City of London 429 600 612 407 19 
			 Croydon 812 4,970 7,716 7,425 1,002 
			 Ealing 1,056 6,816 7,221 4,867 757 
			 Enfield 519 4,487 6,241 5,000 414 
			 Greenwich 1,503 8,803 11,573 10,259 1,681 
			 Hackney 1,542 11,101 14,821 10,287 2,564 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,102 8,531 7,638 4,575 1,338 
			 Haringey 469 8,521 8,391 6,212 1,166 
			 Harrow 303 2,262 2,362 2,268 224 
			 Havering 682 3,617 4,348 3,681 186 
			 Hillingdon 511 4,376 5,702 4,217 355 
			 Hounslow 924 4,836 6,901 5,597 487 
			 Islington 1,292 13,696 12,789 7,889 2,112 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 2,084 5,976 5,757 2,894 657 
			 Kingston upon Thames 489 1,846 2,312 1,522 145 
			 Lambeth 1,740 13,004 15,667 11,018 3,056 
			 Lewisham 1,471 9,433 12,710 8,933 1,844 
			 Merton 227 2,877 3,370 3,579 255 
			 Newham 393 8,781 9,692 7,819 1,330 
			 Redbridge 521 1,992 2,474 1,918 220 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 454 2,695 2,553 2,084 254 
			 Southwark 2,548 16,443 18,438 11,984 3,305 
			 Sutton 22 703 1,302 524 51 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,238 7,934 11,361 6,759 2,443 
			 Waltham Forest 832 5,430 6,792 5,842 711 
			 Wandsworth 1,146 7,464 8,953 5,909 1,416 
			 Westminster 2,313 9,240 7,050 3,717 652 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are given for those general needs dwellings for which the landlord has provided size from the Regulatory and Statistical Return of the Housing Corporation.
	2. The dwelling stock figures exclude non-self contained properties and staff homes.
	3. The information for local authority stock comes from the Housing Second Subsidy Claim form and are provisional and un-audited figures.
	4. Information for local authority stock in Sutton is not yet available.

Housing

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many households (a) made a homelessness application and (b) were accepted as homeless in each London local authority in (i) 1990, (ii) 2000 and (iii) 200405.

Yvette Cooper: The available information is given in the following table. This presents information reported by each London borough on the number of households about whom a decision regarding their homelessness application was made, and the number of these accepted which were accepted as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and consequently owed a main homelessness duty.
	The duty owed by the local authority is to secure suitable accommodation. If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority may secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available. As an alternative to the provision of temporary accommodation some authorities arrange for households to remain in their current accommodation (homeless at home), until a settled solution becomes available.
	
		Decisions on applications from households for assistance under homelessness legislation, as reported by London boroughs
		
			  1990 2000 April 2004 to March 2005 
			  Total of which Total of which Total of which 
			  Decisions(56) Accepted(57) Decisions(56) Accepted(57) Decisions(56) Accepted(57) 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 477 146 389 278 1,593 775 
			 Barnet 1,989 638 3,538 1,208 4,893 758 
			 Bexley (58) (58) 1,269 343 1,211 430 
			 Brent (58) (58) 2,417 1,169 2,631 795 
			 Bromley 1,643 759 1,809 885 (58) (58) 
			 Camden (58) 1,505 1,828 1,009 1,859 1,148 
			 City of London 26 15 26 24 44 31 
			 Croydon 3,073 1,608 5,217 1,668 4,432 1,126 
			 Ealing (58) (58) 2,343 997 2,314 789 
			 Enfield 1,528 1,094 1,547 912 (58) (58) 
			 Greenwich (58) (58) 3,432 1,233 2,945 1,157 
			 Hackney (58) (58) 1,160 869 2,027 1,153 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham (58) (58) 1,600 973 1,284 653 
			 Haringey (58) (58) (58) (58) 2,114 1,175 
			 Harrow 1,640 385 1,422 680 551 96 
			 Havering 1,019 402 (58) (58) 491 200 
			 Hillingdon (58) 866 1,609 858 723 461 
			 Hounslow (58) (58) 3,245 1,085 1,331 891 
			 Islington (58) (58) 3,594 1,485 2,520 1,130 
			 Kensington and Chelsea (58) (58) 1,195 612 1,267 589 
			 Kingston upon Thames 985 328 1,065 400 (58) (58) 
			 Lambeth (58) (58) 1,642 1,006 2,715 1,644 
			 Lewisham (58) (58) 2,220 891 2,216 1,245 
			 Merton 655 405 797 178 659 261 
			 Newham (58) (58) 2,952 1,353 (58) (58) 
			 Redbridge (58) (58) 600 430 (58) (58) 
			 Richmond upon Thames (58) (58) 594 321 488 279 
			 Southwark (58) (58) 2,124 1,414 2,613 1,668 
			 Sutton 1,619 525 801 432 930 272 
			 Tower Hamlets (58) (58) 1,628 1,275 1,830 1,151 
			 Waltham Forest 2,694 799 2,012 906 2,816 800 
			 Wandsworth 3,768 1,476 (58) (58) 1,867 840 
			 Westminster 3,458 2,614 5,270 1,037 3,968 1,112 
		
	
	(56) Decisions prior to 1997 were made under the 1985 Housing Act; subsequent decisions were made under the 1996 Housing Act, although figures include any residual 1985 Act cases. Includes applications found to be ineligible.
	(57) Households found to be eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in a priority need category and, under 1996 Housing Act provisions, consequently owed a main homelessness duty.
	(58) Denotes an authority failed to provide a return for one or more quarters.
	Note:
	Data shown where four quarterly returns were received.
	Source:
	ODPM P1E Homelessness returns (quarterly)

Housing

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many households were being accommodated in temporary accommodation in each London authority in September.

Yvette Cooper: Information about local authorities' activities under homelessness legislation, including the number of households in temporary accommodation in each local authority and London borough as at the end of September, will be available from the Statistical Release on statutory homelessness for the third quarter of 2005 to be published on 12 December.
	Results for the second quarter of 2005, including the number of households in temporary accommodation as at the end of June, were presented in Supplementary Tables to Statistical Release published on 12 September. Information as reported by London boroughs is in the following table:
	
		Households in temporary accommodation secured by London boroughs under homelessness legislation as at 30 June 2005
		
			  Reported total 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 488 
			 Barnet (59) 
			 Bexley 370 
			 Brent 4,510 
			 Bromley 451 
			 Camden 2,147 
			 City of London 31 
			 Croydon 3,161 
			 Ealing 2,286 
			 Enfield 3,221 
			 Greenwich 576 
			 Hackney n/a 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,791 
			 Haringey 5,422 
			 Harrow 1,236 
			 Havering 881 
			 Hillingdon 1,831 
			 Hounslow 1,269 
			 Islington 1,498 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1,238 
			 Kingston upon Thames 735 
			 Lambeth 2,422 
			 Lewisham 1,939 
			 Merton 164 
			 Newham 6,117 
			 Redbridge 2,598 
			 Richmond upon Thames 439 
			 Southwark 968 
			 Sutton 637 
			 Tower Hamlets 2,888 
			 Waltham Forest 1,808 
			 Wandsworth 1,589 
			 Westminster 3,239 
			 All London boroughs(60) 62,640 
		
	
	(59) Data not reported.
	(60) All London total includes estimates for missing data.
	Source:
	ODPM P1E homelessness returns (quarterly)

Housing

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average rent is for a two-bed unit of temporary accommodation in London.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Housing

Greg Hands: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Notting Hill Housing Trust as a provider of affordable housing over the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Housing Corporation assesses the performance of Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) against the Regulatory Code and publishes its findings in the Housing Corporation Assessment (HCA). The Audit Commission inspects and reports on an RSL's service delivery. The most recent HCA for Notting Hill Housing Group was published in May 2005 and confirms satisfactory performance in all areas. The Audit Commission published the report of its May 2005 inspection of service delivery at Notting Hill Housing Trust in August 2005, and concluded that the Trust provided a fair service that has excellent prospects for improvement.

Housing

Denis MacShane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many houses and other dwellings were built in (a) Hertfordshire, (b) Surrey, (c) Sussex and (d) Hampshire in each year since 2000.

Yvette Cooper: The annual number of new build completions reported for (a) Hertfordshire, (b) Surrey, (c) Sussex (East and West Sussex) and (d) Hampshire in each year since 2000are tabled as follows:
	
		Number of new build completions
		
			  200001 200102 200203 200304 200405 
		
		
			 Hampshire 3,234 3,617 3,651 4,638 4,800 
			 Hertfordshire 2,426 2,196 1,919 2,961 3,342 
			 Surrey 2,526 2,616 2,848 3,318 3,207 
			 East Sussex 1,272 1,394 1,384 1,147 1,220 
			 West Sussex 1,587 1,436 2,200 2,010 1,847 
		
	
	Source:
	Returns (P2/NHBC) to ODPM on building control completions
	Figures for the County of Hampshire exclude Southampton and Portsmouth Unitary Authorities and figures for East Sussex exclude figures for Brighton and Hove unitary authority.

Housing

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many vacant homes there were in (a) North East Lincolnshire and (b) North Lincolnshire in each of the past five years.

Yvette Cooper: The number of vacant homes in North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire in each of the past five years are shown in the table as follows.
	
		
			 Data as at: North East Lincolnshire North Lincolnshire 
		
		
			 1 November 2000 2,890 3,361 
			 1 November 2001 3,001 3,020 
			 16 October 2002 2,628 2,522 
			 16 October 2003 2,689 2,143 
			 11 October 2004 2,727 2,035 
		
	
	The data are as reported on CTB1 and CTB1S forms submitted by billing authorities to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister each year. The figure includes both long-term and short-term empty properties.

Housing

Lynne Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will require all new housebuildings to be built to the EcoHomes standard.

Yvette Cooper: EcoHomes is a commercially available environmental assessment system so it is not appropriate to specify that all new houses be built to this system. However, Government agencies are the main users of the EcoHomes system. The Housing Corporation currently require all publicly funded social housing to be designed to meet the 'Good' standard. The English Partnerships Millennium Communities and Design for Manufacture Programmes specify the 'Very Good' standard. Statutory requirements for all new house construction are set out in the Building Regulations and we have announced improvements to minimum energy efficiency requirements that will come into effect next April.

Housing

Clive Betts: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) bedsit, (b) one-bed, (c) two-bed, (d) three-bed and (e) four or more bed right-to-buy sales there have been in Sheffield since 1980.

Yvette Cooper: Information is not held centrally on the numbers of bedrooms of local authority dwellings sold through right-to-buy, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Housing

Michael Penning: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of the proposed new houses for Hertfordshire he expects to be built on brownfield sites.

Yvette Cooper: The East of England Plan, which is currently being tested through an Examination in Public, will determine how many homes should be built in Hertfordshire taking into account the availability of previously developed land.

Housing

Brian Iddon: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 31 October 2005, Official Report, column 760W to the right hon. Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field), on housing, what assessment he has made of the impact of the right-to-buy on the number of households on Bolton's housing waiting list.

Yvette Cooper: No such assessment has been made. It is for each housing authority to manage its stock in the light of local circumstances.

Housing

Brian Iddon: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many right-to-buy applications Bolton metropolitan borough council has received that remain under consideration.

Yvette Cooper: Information is not held centrally on the number of right to buy applications that remain under consideration by local authorities, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Housing

Brian Iddon: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many applicants are on the Bolton housing waiting list.

Yvette Cooper: The number of households on the Bolton housing waiting list as at 1 April 2005 is 16,096.
	Local authorities in England report the numbers of households on their housing waiting list as at 1 April in their annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns. Local authorities sometimes maintain a common waiting list with the Housing Association/s in their district. However, information is not held centrally where a Housing Association maintains a separate waiting list to the local authority.

Housing

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to provide affordable housing in North East Milton Keynes.

Yvette Cooper: The Milton Keynes and South Midlands (MKSM) Sub-Regional Strategy states that Milton Keynes should accommodate an additional 44,900 dwellings over the period 200121, of which 30 per cent. should be affordable. This follows the recommendations of the independent Panel which conducted a Public Examination into the Strategy.
	Detailed consideration of housing opportunities in the North East of Milton Keynes, including affordable housing, is a matter for Milton Keynes Council and local partners.

Housing

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his policy is on encouraging the residential use of unoccupied dwellings above shops and commercial premises.

Yvette Cooper: The release of vacant space over shops and commercial premises has a part to play in meeting housing supply demands and in reviving town centre living. There are however a number of barriers preventing much of this potential from being realised, including the complex ownership patterns in high street property. We are considering a number of ways in which these barriers might be overcome, and we will announce how we intend to take this forward in due course.

Housing Act 2004

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the timetable is for (a) the laying of secondary legislation and (b) the publication of guidance in relation to the Housing Act 2004.

Yvette Cooper: Please see the following table.
	
		Housing Act 2004: Timetable for secondary legislation and guidance
		
			 Provision/Part Proposed laying of SIs Proposed publication of guidance 
		
		
			 Part 1Housing Conditions End November 2005 Statutory guidance will be laid with the Regulations. Subject to the parliamentary procedure, estimated to be ready for publication in March. 
			 Parts 2, 3, 4 and 7HMO and Selective Licensing End January 2006 The Act does not provide for formal guidance but explanatory information will be made available for landlords and tenants in February and March 2006. The intention is to issue informal advice to local authorities in due course. 
			 Part 4Empty Dwelling Management Orders End January 2006 March 2006 
			 Part 5Home Information Packs Early 2006 Guidance on draft SI to be published w/b 8 November 2005 
			  Draft SIs published in full on 31 October 2005  
			 Part 6remaining Right to Buy modifications Commenced July 2005  
			 Clarification of application of Right to Buy provisions to Preserved Right to Buy and Right to Acquire schemes December 2005  
			 Part 6Suspension of certain rights in connection with antisocial behaviour Commenced June 2005 To be confirmed 
			 Part 6Extension to introductory tenancies Commenced June 2005  
			 Part 6Gypsy and Traveller accommodation needs assessments Spring 2006 Draft guidance on Gypsy and Traveller accommodation needs assessment will be issued shortly 
			   Guidance on Gypsy and Traveller accommodation strategies: spring 2006 
			 Part 6Tenant Deposit Protection July 2006 Explanatory information to be issued from May 2006 onwards. 
			 Part 6Additional power to give grants for social housing End November 2005  
			 Part 6Allocation of housing accommodation by local authorities Commenced April 2005

Lea Valley Park Authority

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much (a) Havering council and (b) the Lea Valley councils allocated to the Lea Valley Park Authority in 200405.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Local Area Agreements

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 26 October 2005, Official Report, column 449W, on local area agreements (LAAs), 
	(1)  if he will place a copy of each agreed LAA in the Library; and why the website page referred to in the answer does not provide access to copies of each LAA;
	(2)  if he will list the measures which can be applied should certain targets not be met for each of the agreed LAAs.

Phil Woolas: Copies of all LAAs signed to date are in the Libraries of both Houses. The signed LAAs can be found online as part of the LAA toolkit, accessible through both the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website and at:
	http://www.idea-knowledge.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=627986
	I have also placed a copy of the document Local Area Agreements Guidance in the Libraries of the House. This document contains a range of detailed information on the creation and operation of LAAs, including performance management.

Local Government Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how the Valuation Office Agency forecast the number of council tax banding appeals.

Phil Woolas: The Valuation Office Agency forecast council tax banding appeals in the light of knowledge of levels of appeals received in successive years to date. The clearance targets published annually in its business plan, contained in the Agency's Annual Reports and Forward Plan, reflect these forecasts. The Annual Reports and Forward Plan can be viewed on www.voa.gov.uk. In the current year the Agency expects to receive and clear some 28,000 appeals against the 1993 council tax lists.

Local Government Finance

David Borrow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what the percentage increase in (a) Government grant and (b) council tax was for each county council between 199697 and 200506;
	(2)  what the percentage increase was in (a) Government grant and (b) council tax for each county council between 200405 and 200506.

Phil Woolas: Tables have been made available in the Library of the House showing the percentage increases in Government grant and council tax for each county council in each year between 199697 and 200506.

Local Government Pensions

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total amount is of unfunded local government pension liabilities.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 16 June 2005, Official Report, column 548W.

Mobile Phone Masts

Michael Penning: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many planning permission applications have been granted for mobile phone masts in Dacorum since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, during September and October every year the mobile network operators write to every local authority with details of their network rollout for the year ahead. When they write to the local authority they also provide details of their existing sites within the local authority area. The hon. Member may want to contact the network operators for copies of their plans.

Mobile Phone Masts

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many planning permission applications have been granted for mobile phone masts in North East Milton Keynes since1997.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	However, during September and October every year the mobile network operators write to every local authority with details of their network rollout for the year ahead. When they write to the local authority they also provide details of their existing sites within the local authority area. My hon. Friend may want to contact the network operators for copies of their plans.

Mobile Phone Masts

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many planning permission applications for mobile telephone masts in the Kettering constituency have been (a) granted, (b) granted on appeal and (c) refused in each year since 1997.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the planning applications which have been granted for mobile phone masts in West Lancashire since 1997.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Members to the answer given on 2 November 2005, Official Report, column 1066W to my hon. Friend the Member for Coventry, South (Mr. Cunningham).

Outdoor Advertising

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans the Government have to amend planning regulations on outdoor advertising controls; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will be consulting on amended regulations on outdoor advertisement control later this year. We expect the new advertisements regulations to be introduced in 2006.

Park Homes

David Lidington: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the Government's policy on the charging by park home operators of commission on sale.

Yvette Cooper: Paragraph 8(2) of schedule 1 to the Mobile Homes Act 1983 entitles park owners to receive a commission on the sale of a park home, not exceeding a rate specified by the Secretary of State. The current maximum rate is 10 per cent. and is specified in the Mobile Homes (Commissions) Order 1983.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is planning to issue a consultation paper early next year exploring the basis for changes to the commission rate. This will draw on the research report on the Economics of the Park Homes Industry, published in 2002.

Pathfinder Projects

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for what reasons the Government are demolishing homes in the Pathfinder project areas; and if he will publish the criteria used for such decisions.

Yvette Cooper: The nine pathfinders are working in parts of our northern cities and towns where three years ago the prices of houses fell well below their apparent worth. Those who could do so moved out. Homes were abandoned and some of the most disadvantaged in our society became trapped in neighbourhoods characterised by dereliction, crime, anti-social behaviour and poor services. This market collapse was an extreme manifestation of a wider problem of low demand which the Housing Market Renewal Fund addresses.
	The Government are investing 1.2 billion up to March 2008 to tackle the mismatch of supply and demand in these areas, providing people with a choice of good quality housing fit for the 21st century and re-creating sustainable communities. Refurbishment, new build and some demolition are part of this approach as well as action with partners to improve economic and job prospect, education, crime and behaviour and health, tackle dereliction, provide high quality public space and capitalise on the rich heritage of many areas.
	Each pathfinder has in place its own arrangements to assess options and appraise projects.

Pathfinder Projects

Jim Cousins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder schemes are permitted to make their minutes and papers available to hon. Members who represent pathfinder areas; and whether they are covered by the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Yvette Cooper: The Housing Market Renewal Pathfinders are permitted to make their minutes and papers available to hon. Members who represent their pathfinder areas.
	For Freedom of Information purposes the pathfinders should be considered part of the local authority which acts as its 'accountable body'. Therefore the legal duty to respond to an FOI request falls to the accountable body.

Planning

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the discretion of local authority planning committees to delegate decisions to unelected officers.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) regards the delegation of suitable decisions to officers as an effective way to improve timeliness of decision making, which is why ODPM encourages all local authorities to adopt a comprehensive system of delegation.
	Decisions can only be delegated to officers by elected members and so they determine the terms on which a delegated agreement operates, the level of member involvement, and the circumstances in which an officer's delegated power to make a decision may not be exercised.
	The LGA and ODPM have jointly published revised guidance on schemes of delegation called Delivering Delegation. Apart from re-affirming policy on delegation, the new document will give details on the types of decisions that can be delegated and best practice models of delegation schemes.

Planning

Michael Penning: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will review planning policy guidance; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 11 July 2005, Official Report, column 810W.

Regional Fire Control Centres

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress has been made towards establishing the West Midlands Regional Fire Control Centre; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Good progress has been made on all aspects of the project. In August, Wolverhampton Business Park was chosen as the site for the West Midlands regional fire control centre, following a fair and transparent procurement process. The building has recently received full planning permission. The West Midlands Regional Management Board have indicated their willingness to set up a local authority company as the governing entity for the centre, subject to a full consultation on the detailed proposals. Meanwhile, the procurement for the technology/infrastructure services that will supply all the new regional controls is well under way, and should be completed by spring 2006.

Regional Fire Control Centres

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for what reasons the Outline Business Case for the Regional Fire Control Centres has not yet been published.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Fire Control Outline Business Case was published in January 2005, and is available on the project website at www.firecontrol.odpm.gov.uk

Respect Unit

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 27 October 2005, Official Report, column 489W, on respect, which of the programmes listed are within the remit or responsibility of the Home Office.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Two of the four programmes listed in my earlier answer are ODPM programmes entirely and the Home Office have no remit or responsibility for them. The Safer and Stronger Communities Fund is a joint Home Office and ODPM programme, which also now incorporates the ODPM programme 'Cleaner, Safer, Greener' referred to in my earlier answer.

Self-invested Personal Pensions

John Greenway: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to protect houses in rural areas from purchase as second homes by holders of self invested personal pensions.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not envisage that changes to self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs) introduced by colleagues in the Treasury will have any significant effect on housing markets in either rural or urban areas. In July we launched the Affordable Rural Housing Commission and invited it to consider the evidence and reach consensus on the relevant issues around affordable housing needs in rural areas. It is likely that the Commission will wish to consider the positive and negative aspects of second homes. The Commission will report next year.

Smoke Alarms

Michael Penning: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his Department plans to issue guidance to fire services on the need to ensure smoke alarms provided to deaf and hard of hearing people meet the British Standard BS 54463.2005.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government is funding free smoke alarms for 1.25 million vulnerable households in England under the 25 million Home Fire Risk Check initiative over the period 200408. Many FRSs are fitting alarms for the deaf and hard of hearing under this initiative. Specific advice is already included in guidance prepared by the Chief Fire Officers Association. In summary, people who use hearing aids may be able to hear conventional interconnecting alarms, but if this is found not to be the case, specialist alarms should be fitted. We would expect all smoke alarms to meet appropriate British Standards.

Regeneration (North Northamptonshire)

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the potential for a merger between Catalyst Corby and North Northants Together.

Yvette Cooper: The Government believe that a merger between Catalyst Corby and North Northants Together would be beneficial to regeneration and sustainable growth in North Northamptonshire and has invited local partners to consider this. It would give a clear single voice to the area on growth and regeneration issues and strengthen delivery capacity for capital infrastructure projects.
	The Government recently received the formal merger proposals from both bodies and are considering their response.